Recovery
by Splinter1
Summary: Jericho joins the Titans after the events of "Trigon Tries Again" and during this visit, several important things happen: Edward asks Raven a question, BB gets taught a lesson after he's caught eavesdropping on a conversation with Bruce Wayne, then, Edward and Raven enjoy dinner with Bruce before Clayface shows up. Also, a chopper crash makes life harder.
1. Jericho visits

**Recovery**

_May, 2012_

Author's note(s): All Teen Titans characters are owned by DC Comics and/or Cartoon Network.

You'll notice some elements from the comics in play. That's intentional, but, I want to keep those to a "dull roar" as I do prefer the animated version better. Some things I prefer (as in the team members knowing their "alter ego"/Secret Identity)…others I didn't like (as in Terra's death or BB talking in other forms).

**Prologue  
[Titans Tower – Shortly after the events in "Trigon Tries Again."]**

_Edward Barnes muses…_

_I blew it. I allowed my emotions to get the best of me fighting for Raven and the team is somewhat frightened of me. The only one that isn't is Raven. My sweet little empath is helping me the best she can, but, I have to remember that while she's instinctually drawn to my problem, if she tries to use her abilities to draw all my pain out at once, it will kill her._

_I do let her in. I have to let her do what she can, but, the only thing that's keeping us together is our love for one another._

_Arella says that the violence needed to put Trigon down for good has poisoned me. That said, she's still very grateful for what we've done for her and keep doing. Maybe Rae's mom is right. She spent the better part of her life in Azarath and, well, I wish it were still in one piece as that would be a great vacation spot right now. I might avail myself to their teachings, though. Just to balance out the more violent parts of my nature._

_The team did vote on one thing, though. They are going to let me use their real names in private. Heck, I already know Robin is Richard Grayson, Starfire is a loose translation for Koriand'r, Beast Boy is Garfield Logan and Terra is a play on Tara Markov. I found out that Raven is Rachel Roth (I really prefer Raven, though...LOL!) Cyborg finally broke down and said his real name is Victor Stone. _

_Well, vote is a misnomer. It just happened. The one that really needs to maintain a secret identity is Robin, of course. If I could come to the conclusion that Bruce Wayne moonlights as Batman without too much trouble, the rest of the world could figure it out as well. It's hard to hurt Batman, but, even I fear if someone went after Bruce Wayne's loved ones._

_Dick will not come out and admit this to the rest of the Titans, save Raven and I by extension: He still sees Bruce as an adopted father. I had looked up the incident that cost Dick his parents and I felt a flash of anger knowing that they had been murdered. Then, I realized that had they not died, the Titans would not exist._

_Dick still visits his parents' graves and I asked him if I could honor them as well. He was, needless to say, surprised, but, agreed to the request._

_But, Robin's acting like a true leader. He knows I'm trying to heal some deep emotional scars and told me that I could take as much time as I needed…going on missions for Rae and I is optional for now. I've gone on some of the missions, though. He's trusting us to not do anything improper in letting us spend time in each other's rooms. He's asked that the doors be kept open a couple of inches, though._

_Cyborg's helping as well. He's letting me use his high end equipment to blow off some steam and, honestly, it does help. Hard to stay angry when one is trying to lift 5 tons and not shatter the bones…then again, in my human form, that would happen, so, I use a different form to protect my bone structure. Raven's noticed a difference in my regular muscle mass._

_Starfire is too emotional right now. She's feeding off my negative vibrations and it's affecting her flight powers, which require her to be joyful. Then again, it's fueling her Starbolts. I feel bad that my alien friend is being affected by the anger I've been trying to purge. It's like someone planted that in my blasted head._

_Beast Boy and Terra are being really supportive. He told me what he went through after Terra betrayed the team and his heartache. He'd get just as angry for weeks after the betrayal and when she was petrified, it was ten times as worse. If Raven had not risked opening herself up and given BB a shoulder to lean on, the younger shapeshifter would not have gotten through it._

_But, being on the Titans has brought out the best in me as well and I wouldn't trade that for the world. I've met new friends and allies, not only in the main Titan group, but, in the Justice League also. Then, there are the honorary Titans._

_Another of those will be making a visit. We've had Raven's "kids," Kole, and Gnaark. But, now we have a unique teen coming. He is mute and has a pretty interesting ability as well._

_There's something else. In the last few months, even before the Trigon incident, I've been pondering asking Raven a question and had to keep Raven from getting too close to finding it before I was ready to ask._

_The Trigon incident, though made me realize, through Starfire's innocent remark, that Raven's been waiting for me to ask her and even told Starfire that she would say "Yes."_

**Chapter 1  
[Titan common area]**

Edward was still depressed and it was not a feeling he liked. He had allowed his draconic rage to be unleashed and he knew that the other Titans were now worrying about him.

He was playing a solo game of Mega-Monkeys 6 on the GameStation and actually doing pretty well when the communications console beeped.

Edward paused the game and jogged to the device and opened the channel. There was a guy he hadn't seen before, blond hair and green eyes.

"Titans Tower, Edward here," he said.

The guy started making hand signals and Edward realized the guy was unable to talk.

"I'm Jericho," he signed, "Is Robin there?"

Edward signed, "He is, would you like to talk to him?"

"You can talk to me. I am merely mute, not deaf. But, yes, I would like to talk to him," he signed back.

"My apologies, Jericho," Edward said. Jericho smiled and signed, "I'm used to it. Apology accepted."

"Hold on a moment and I'll get him," Edward said.

He put the call on hold and opened the intercom to the rest of the tower.

"Robin, you have a call from Jericho," he said.

Robin replied, "I'll be there in a moment, then."

"Understood," Edward said.

He reopened the outside channel and said, "Robin's on the way and should be here in a moment."

Jericho signed, "Thank you. When did you become a Titan?"

"About six months ago," Edward replied.

"Good! The Titans needed another member. Do you have any special abilities?" he signed.

"I'm a Dragon," Edward explained.

"A Dragon?" Jericho replied, "I don't understand."

"I can shapeshift, like Beast Boy does," Edward replied patiently.

Jericho nodded, "OK." He looked at Edward oddly, though.

Robin came into the room then and said, "Don't tell me, Edward. You can speak in sign language as well?"

Edward chuckled, "Of course. Jericho and I were getting to know each other a little bit."

"Good!" Robin said, "I can't do sign language very well."

"You two talk," Edward said, getting up, "I'll translate."

"Thanks!" Robin said.

"Hi, Jericho," Robin said, "What's up?"

Jericho signed, "I was wondering how things were there in Jump City."

"Not too bad, man," Robin said, "Some of the bad guys we've taken down lately aren't too eager to get out of jail soon."

"Who did you take down?" Jericho replied.

"Mallah somehow got released. Edward and Raven were able to defeat him," Robin said, "One of our newest members, Terra, took down Slade."

"My dad?" Jericho signed.

Robin's face paled a little, "Yeah, he was taken down. Jericho, there's something that you need to know, but, not over the communicators. We have to tell you in person."

Jericho's face fell then. He didn't have to be told.

"Jericho," Edward said, "Where are you at? We'll come get you."

Jericho signed his location and Robin said, "Sounds like where Beast Boy met him before. Take him along."

"OK," Edward replied. He did not like to be the bearer of bad news, at all.

"I'll be there shortly, Jericho," Edward said to him.

"We'll get the guest room ready for you," Robin said.

Jericho signed off and closed the connection.

"He's Slade's SON?" Edward asked.

"He is," Robin said, "He's also an honorary Titan. He's nothing like Slade."

"Why wasn't he told of his dad's death?" Edward asked, "He has a right to know…to say good-bye if he wants to."

"He and his dad did not get along very well," Robin explained, "From what we know, Slade is part of the reason Jericho's mute. He was able to talk until he was about 10 when he was kidnapped. Slade did not want to cooperate in giving over some information and while he saved his son's life, it resulted in his vocal cords being damaged."

Edward nodded, "I can understand why. I will shoulder this burden, then."

"No," Robin said, "As the leader, the duty needs to fall on me."

"All right," Edward said, "I will do as you ask, is possible. But, I will not hide the truth from him should he directly ask me."

"Oh, I got a message from Batman," Robin said, "He mentioned that Bruce would like to talk to you personally."

There was the unspoken agreement that only in Robin's room would they discuss Batman and Bruce Wayne as the same person. The other team members probably were aware, but, they were playing dumb with that issue.

"Gotcha," Edward said, "Here or somewhere else?"

"He said at Wayne Manor. You've gotten a rare dinner invite," Robin said, "I'd go, but, there are still some issues."

"No worries, Robin," Edward said, "I'll ask Raven if she'll teleport us over there. Once I've been there, I can teleport, as you know."

"That will work," Robin replied. Edward knew they did talk at times, and, between Bruce and Edward, the finances of the team were taken care of in an informal agreement, but, Edward also knew that there would have to be something in place formally pretty soon.

Edward wished, though, that they would sit down and talk about the rift between them. Edward did not feel it was his place to intervene though. If it was something in their private lives, he was certainly out of the picture. It didn't affect the team as a whole, so, again, Edward knew his place was elsewhere. Only if it interfered with the Titans would Edward step in.

"Wayne Manor's number is stored in the computer. Talk to Alfred and he'll get you set up," Robin said, "That's one guy I miss, though. He was a third father to me and, well, I also miss his cooking."

"Top notch?" Edward said, raising an eyebrow.

"No offense, but, I'm biased towards his pot roast and several other dishes," Robin said.

"What offense?" Edward said, "I'm a big dragon and can take my lumps when it comes to someone better than I in the cooking department. I look forward to this dinner, then. We might have to compare notes."

"Alfred would enjoy that," Robin said.

Edward pulled out his communicator, "Edward to Beast Boy, can you come to the roof, please. We gotta go pick up Jericho."

"Awesome!" Beast Boy said, "Be there in 5."

"You want to come with me?" Edward asked.

"Nah," Robin said, "I need to think how to tell him about Slade."

"Ok," Edward said and headed for the roof of the Tower.

**[Five minutes later]**

Beast Boy arrived on the roof and Edward said, "Hi, Garfield! You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Beast Boy said, "Where's Jericho at?"

"Robin said that he might be on a mountain top," Edward replied.

"Man, I hate climbing that thing!" Beast Boy said.

"Who said anything about climbing?" Edward said with a laugh and morphed.

"Forgot about that," Beast Boy said and hopped on Edward's back.

"He might be depressed when we get there," Edward said, "He might have figured out that his dad is deceased."

"His dad?" Beast Boy asked.

"Slade," was all Edward said.

"Bummer," Beast Boy said, "I take it Robin wants to tell him."

"Yeah."

They took to the air and after a quick mind touch, Edward teleported.

**[A remote mountain top somewhere in Europe]**

They emerged from the teleport and Beast Boy said, "I'll fly on ahead, if you want."

"Nah, it's fine," Edward said, "I see him already."

Edward came in for a landing and realized that he'd flatten a lot of the flowers there.

"On second thought," Edward said, "Go for it, I need to morph as well."

A moment later, there was a green eagle in Edward's vision and Edward did the same before landing.

They returned to their human forms and headed for where Jericho was strumming a guitar. It was a sad tune though. Edward hadn't heard it before, though.

As Edward and Beast Boy approached he looked up to see them.

He waved, but, deep down, Edward was just as saddened.

[Edward,] Raven said through the link, [What's wrong?]

[I think Jericho figured out that his father died recently,] Edward replied.

[I know,] Raven said, sending a mental hug for support, [That's for Jericho as well.]

Jericho signed, "My father is dead?"

Edward knew he would get chewed by Robin, but, said, "I'm so sorry, friend. He was murdered in a prison riot several weeks ago."

Jericho collapsed in tears.

[Tell Robin that Jericho knows already,] Edward said sadly, [He is mourning now. We'll bring Jericho back to the Tower. I don't want the kid alone. Give Dick my apologies. He'll understand, I hope.]

A moment later, Raven replied, [Dick said to bring him back ASAP, and, that he understands fully. Nothing to apologize for if Jericho forced you to tell him.]

[I wasn't going to lie to the kid, Rach, you know that,] Edward said. He was trying to block Jericho's distress from reaching her.

"How did he die?" Jericho signed.

"There was a prison riot and according to the investigation, another inmate started the initial fight. By the time I got there to help quell it, your dad had taken a shank to the head. I believe it was quick," Edward replied.

Jericho leaned into Edward, who just hugged him and let him mourn.

[I can feel his distress, honey,] Raven said sadly, [I want to ease his pain so bad.]

[No,] Edward said, [Rae, he needs to mourn. I've discovered that mortals when they lose someone, they must grieve. It's part of the closure process. To take that away, even when the intentions are for the best, robs the person. I think that he did not get the chance to talk to Slade and possibly forgive the man. Robin's right. I refuse to visit Slade crimes on his son. I can't, honey. He's sobbing in my arms.]

[I know,] Raven replied, [When he wants me to, I'll help him. Right now, focus on him.]

Jericho was silently sobbing his eyes out and Edward wished he could actually vocalize what he was wanting to say. The sobbing was helping, though.

"Hey," Beast Boy said, "I can understand how you feel."

Jericho looked at Beast Boy and signed rapidly.

Edward relayed, "He's saying, 'How in the hell do you know how I feel? You don't know the pain this is causing! How hurt I am!'"

"I do know your pain," Beast Boy said, "I lost my parents years ago suddenly. They were caught in a waterfall and I only survived cause of my abilities. Why do you think I crack jokes all the time? It still hurts. It never goes away. It will always be a part of me, though."

"Jericho," Edward said, "I know you don't believe it right now. I've lived a long time and seen hundreds of generations come and go. Those I called family over that time, when they passed, a little piece of me went with them."

"How old are you?" Jericho signed.

"Almost 3,000," Edward replied, "It's part of being immortal, I'm afraid."

"You're not hardened against grief?" he signed.

"No, and I do not want to be," Edward said, "If I were to not mourn when a loved one dies…I would be a true monster. No, I'm not truly human. Beast Boy will tell you from experience, my emotions are a lot more intense than human feelings."

"Yeah," Beast Boy said, "Don't get on his bad side. Several bad guys did that and they are happy to stay behind bars. Some are dead as well."

"You kill?" Jericho asked.

"With great hesitation, yes, I have killed enemies," Edward replied, "I won't kill the Titan's human enemies if at all possible."

"Not unless they attack Raven," Beast Boy said.

"Those that attacked Raven who I killed or helped to kill, though, were non-human, Beast Boy. Don't forget Terra buried Malchior," Edward replied.

"Who?" Jericho said. There was no word for "Malchior" in sign language.

"Another dragon," Edward replied, "He had seduced Raven a few years ago and in the process fooled her into releasing him from an ancient Chinese curse binding him to an ancient book. Well, she managed to re-capture him after a fight. Somehow, he was released again, and attacked Raven, first by tearing apart her mind. I went in there and with some help from Raven's emotions, kicked him out of her mind. So, he attempted to attack directly when she was down for the count. He didn't get the chance to even come close. He was defeated once and for all. Terra, one of the new members of the team, buried him. You see, she's a terrakinetic. She can move earth with her mind."

Jericho sighed then said, "Dang."

"Robin's waiting for us at the Tower," Beast Boy said, "If I know him, he's got the guest room ready for you."

"I'd like that," Jericho replied, "I do not want to be alone right now."

"I don't blame you one bit," Edward said, "You ready?"

"Yes," he signed back.

"No luggage, I see. No problem, I'll get whatever you might need that the Tower doesn't have," Edward said.

"Thanks!" Jericho replied.

"It's going to be a tight fit," Edward said, "I don't want to flatten these flowers."

"They'll grow back," Jericho replied.

Edward morphed back to mini-dragon and said, "Hop on!"

"I have a better idea," Jericho replied, "But I'd like to ask you first."

"Ask away," Edward responded.

"Dude," Beast Boy said, "I think he wants to possess you. Don't worry, Jericho won't harm you."

"Hmmm," Edward said, thinking about that one. He didn't want anyone in his mind, save for Raven.

[Dear,] Raven interjected, [It'll be OK. He won't hurt you or invade your mind. In this case, he's just riding along.]

"Raven's vouching for you, Jericho," Edward said.

"How?" Jericho asked.

"We're telepathically linked," Edward said with a draconic grin, "It comes in handy a lot! OK, do your stuff."

Edward lowered his mental defenses as Jericho looked into his eyes. His eyes turned black with their normal green and next thing Edward knew, Jericho had faded from sight. He felt Jericho enter his being and raised an eyebrow…Or rather Jericho did.

"Looks like I still have control over my voice," Edward said, "OK, This is going to be weird for you, Jericho. I will need control of my wings at least, but, I'll tell you how to operate the rest of me. You can control the legs."

[All right,] Jericho said, [Hey, I can talk in here!]

[You're accessing the link I was talking about,] Edward said.

[Hello, Jericho,] Raven said.

[Hello, Raven,] Jericho said, [It's awesome to be able to TALK!]

[I'll bet,] Edward said, [See if you can use my vocal cords.]

[No can do, unless I take control when you're sleeping or out cold,] Jericho explained.

Edward chuckled to himself.

"What's going on?" Beast Boy asked, "You got that same look that you get talking to Raven."

"Just having a threesome," Edward replied with a laugh.

Both Jericho and Raven groaned at that one. Beast Boy however, got the hint and the pun pretty quickly and laughed.

"OK, Jericho, I need you to lower my back end and keep my front legs kind of bent. Just like if a cat were jumping into the air," Edward said aloud for Beast Boy's benefit.

Jericho did that and Edward said, "That's fine. Now, tense up the leg muscles and jump into the air. When you do that, I'll start flapping the wings and we'll be on our way."

Edward felt weird, though, as Jericho propelled Edward into the air. Edward started flapping his wings as Beast Boy got aboard as a falcon.

Edward felt Beast Boy morphing back to human a moment later.

"Now for the tricky part," Edward said, "Normally, when I teleport, the passengers are, well, on my back. Jericho, I need to say this with the utmost seriousness and gravity. You MUST stay where you're at during the teleportation process. If you leave me during that time, you are as good as dead because I will have no idea where and when you dropped out of the teleport. Beast Boy has teleported with me several times and he's aware of the risk involved. That's not a threat, but, a dire warning. Heck, even Mallah got the hint when I had to teleport his frozen monkey butt from the South Pole to Paris 5 months ago."

[Mallah was thawed out?] Jericho asked.

[He was,] Raven replied, [Damn gorilla thought he'd attack my kids again. Between Edward, Bobby and I, he didn't put up much of a fight.]

Jericho laughed and said, [Warning received, let's go. Sadly, there is a limit on how long I can stay.]

"Here goes," Edward said, "Cross your fingers…or my toes."

Edward pictured the Tower in his head and teleported back.

**[1000 yards away from the Tower]**

Edward and passengers emerged from the teleport and Jericho said, [Holy cow! That was a weird feeling.]

[Actually, we were supposed to emerge over the Tower, but, no biggie,] Edward replied.

He flew towards the tower and had to make a choice: Land on the roof or land at the base and go in that way.

"Heading for the roof," he said, "OK, to land will be interesting. I'll overfly the roof once so Jericho can see where to land, then, circle back. On the second pass, I'll aim for the center of the roof and as I get close, I'll do what's called a backwing, to reduce my speed.

"Please make sure that my legs are braced for the impact. As I land, there will still be some forward motion, so, allow my legs to move with that and then, slow me down to a stop."

[Got it,] Jericho said.

Beast Boy flew off as a precaution and formed a dragon of his own.

"Good idea!" Edward said, "Go ahead and land so Jericho gets the idea better."

By then, the other Titans and Arella had come out on the roof to watch.

Beast Boy flew ahead and landed. He had just a similar size to Edward and made the landing look easy.

Edward overflew the roof and circled back. As he came closer to his target zone, he started to reduce his speed and as he landed, poor Jericho had difficulty with the landing!

Edward started to skid off the roof, only to be covered in Raven's powers! She had intervened and carefully set Edward back on the roof.

Jericho decided he had enough for the time being and left Edward's body.

He reappeared and signed, "I'm sorry."

Edward morphed back and replied, "No harm done. Thanks, Raven!"

"You're welcome, dear," she replied.

"You and Raven are dating?" Jericho asked.

"Yep," Edward said.

"Welcome back!" Robin said, "I want to offer my condolences, Jericho. I'm sorry about your dad."

Robin wasn't just saying that to be polite. Sure, he and Slade were enemies, but, he was not going to put the sins of the father on the son.

Jericho signed sadly, "I will miss him. There were things I wanted to say to him."

Edward relayed that to the team and Robin said, "We'll take you to his gravesite, if you'd like."

Jericho replied, "Yes, I would like that."

Terra looked like she was going to blow a gasket, though.

Edward noticed and said, "Terra, I'd like to introduce you to Jericho. He's an Honorary Titan. Jericho, this is Terra, the young woman I was talking about. She's a good friend."

"Slade's son?" Terra asked darkly.

"Terra," Beast Boy said, "Jericho's not like Slade at all."

Jericho signed to her, "I'm not my father, Terra. He is why I cannot speak. I had been kidnapped at the age of ten and when he had a choice of my life or divulging some information, he refused to divulge the information. I paid for his ego with my voice."

After Edward translated, Jericho pulled down his turtleneck sweater to show an ugly cut across part of his throat.

"Figured he'd even trade his own son for his ego," Terra said, "But, I'm sorry he let that happen to you."

Edward sighed.

"What's wrong?" Jericho signed.

"Nothing that I can't handle," Edward replied, "Just been going through a hard time."

Jericho signed, "Can't be as rough as being told that you'll never be able to talk again. That was the hardest day of my life."

"True," Edward said. He walked over to Raven and took her hand in his.

"But, when you're so protective of the one you love that you over-react to a potential threat when you know she can handle things herself," Edward continued, "It's hard. Or when there's a telepathic link involved that you are overjoyed to have and take the risk of negative stuff getting through. It can be a strain.

"But, the good really does outweigh the bad. I wouldn't trade this for anything."

"Just remember, Edward," Raven said, "This runs both ways.

"Jericho, this is my mother, Arella. Mom, this is Jericho."

"Nice to meet you," Jericho signed.

"Nice to meet you, too," Arella replied.

"Another sign reader?" Edward said with a smile, "Nice!"

"Let's go inside," Robin suggested.

The team went inside and headed for the common room.

"Since Jericho's our guest, I think he should be able to pick dinner for the team," Robin said.

"Who cooks?" Jericho replied.

"Edward does," Robin replied, "It prevents arguments between Beast Boy and Cyborg."

"Would he know lasagna?" Jericho asked.

"Of course," Edward replied, "I make it from scratch. My own sauce as well."

Jericho smiled, "Would you mind? I haven't had that in a long time."

"Not at all! Like Robin said, you're our guest. It's only fair that you get to select your first meal here," Edward replied.

"All right!" Beast Boy said happily.

"Booya!" Cyborg said.

"Friend Edward's cooking is glorious!" Starfire exclaimed.

Raven gave a soft smile as a reply.

Arella said, "That sounds wonderful, Edward. Would you need any help?"

"Possibly," Edward said, "I have to go to the market and get what we need. It shouldn't take long."

"I'll go with you, Edward," Raven said. Edward nodded his agreement to that idea with a soft smile thrown in as well.

Since the Trigon incident, Raven had decided that she needed to be near him. Edward had been seriously destabilized in that incident. He was, for the first time in centuries, doubting his abilities.

Trigon's sons had not only successfully captured him, but, prevented him from using most of his abilities. And, Edward didn't want to admit it, but, those ropes he was bound with had hurt badly. They were magically enhanced to prevent his powers from being used. It took one of his sons to make a mistake for Edward to break loose.

He was given a measure of revenge with their own capture and death.

But, the worst harm was seeing his sweet Raven in tears due to the destruction of Azarath as well as Trigon's last stand in Nevermore.

Edward normally had excellent control over his emotions, but, deep down, Edward knew that he had allowed his anger to go out of control. The other Titans had understood why.

After the rescue and final defeat of Trigon, Edward had holed up in his room, only allowing Raven anywhere near him while he wrestled with his feelings.

He even considered for a little while, ending the relationship with Raven. However, after much soul searching, he had come to realize that he needed Raven in his life for as long as humanly possible. He couldn't just pack his stuff and leave the team. Yes, they would survive with or without him, but, Edward knew, deep down, that they also needed him.

Terra, for example, had a very personal reason for being one of his best friends. She knew that Edward considered the life debt paid in full, and was happy about that. He supported her when she took down Slade. Oh, she knew that she had issues still. But, as she allowed her friends to trust her and she learned to trust as well.

Edward smiled to himself as he knew he helped Terra and Garfield to be truly happy.

Robin and Starfire had become close as friends first, then, as a committed couple. Yes, it was a risk. Robin had to force himself to take breaks from his reports and other stresses of leading the Titans.

And…Raven herself. She had never been allowed to really feel happiness and to feel true joy. And, yes, there is a big difference in the empath's mind. She felt close friendship with Robin. He was the one that rescued her from Trigon the first time. She knew his deepest, darkest secrets and held those close to her heart. But, now, she knew happiness, joy, and she knew that she was loved as well. Heck, everyone in the tower knew that as she was projecting those feelings to the others.

Well, Edward sat down one night and did a pro/con list and realized that he was very blessed to be part of the team. The pros greatly outweighed the cons and when Edward was done, he knew he was truly home. For the first time in centuries…Edward Barnes was home. He had friends who he considered to be family.

One thing he heard about was when Galfore had told Koriand'r that she needed to listen to her heart and do what was best for Tamaran. She listened to the advice and her heart after banishing Blackfire from Tamaran forever and named Galfore to be the next emperor of the planet.

Edward took that same sage advice and he knew that being with the Titans was best for them, the planet and himself.

That was a huge balm for his aching emotions and as he got his debit card from his room, he resolved to take case of some business that evening.

In his room was a special ring he was going to give Raven that evening…

* * *

_Dang...Talk about an absence__! I was actually able to write this entire story in the forced downtime :) So, those that have me on an author alert will get this head's up. However, I'm going to post the entire thing at this time, so, those that would normally put this on a story alert will be saved the time._

_This is going to be one of my longer stories, though, so, sit back and enjoy!  
_


	2. Supermarket and Ship Rescue

**Chapter 2  
[30 minutes later - Jump City Supermarket]**

Edward and Raven had gotten what was needed for the dinner that evening and were heading out after paying the cashier.

The cashier was a guy in his late 30s that Edward knew and respected. The reason is that the guy would treat his customers like they were family instead of just get them through the line ASAP and out of the store.

As Edward and Raven left, though, Edward's enhanced hearing picked up some words between his cashier friend and another customer.

"Wait here, please," Edward said, "There's a problem inside."

Raven said, "I know. The cashier's anger level just skyrocketed. His customer also knows him and is taunting the cashier with a woman that is also there. I don't know what else is happening."

Edward pointed to his ear and said, "I can hear them. Seems that this other guy is a military officer. We saw him and the woman, I believe."

"We did," Raven replied, "I sensed that she was very uncomfortable at the time."

Edward was annoyed and his eyes glowed red for a second, then, faded away.

"I'm going to love this," Edward said, "I am a 'retired' general and this guy is not ranked as high. Time for some lessons to be applied."

"Not going to hurt him, are ya?" Raven asked.

"Only if he's stupid and throws a punch," Edward said.

Edward's hearing told him that the altercation had ended and the cashier was leaving his station in a hurry.

The officer and his wife left the store. Edward shook his head, seeing the guy was in uniform.

"Why did you provoke him?" the woman asked, "He did nothing to you!"

"Bah!" the guy said, "He deserved it."

Edward snarled to himself and he fell in behind the couple in bird form. Raven chuckled, knowing Edward's tactics. He would allow the guy to hang himself for a few more moments and she got an idea.

The man was still making some rather negative comments about the cashier and as they got to their car, Raven did a quick teleport back to the Tower with the groceries and back again.

She used her powers to "disable" their car's tire.

That would give Edward time to finish his mission.

[He's not going anywhere,] Raven giggled, [He's got a flat tire.]

[Bahahaha!] Edward laughed.

Edward landed and resumed his human form.

"Excuse me, Captain?" Edward said pleasantly, "Might I have a word with you?"

"I'm sorry," the guy said, "I have to run. I'm due at the base shortly."

"I think you're going to be late," Edward said, "Your car looks weird to me."

"It does? Susan, get in," the man said.

She looked at the right rear tire and said, "This guy's right. We have a flat."

"WHAT?" the guy said and looked.

Sure enough, the tire was flat. The guy uttered a few choice words and pulled out his cell phone.

"Captain," Edward said, "Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Barnes…General Edward Barnes of the United States Army. Put the cell phone away."

The man saluted, which, was returned in accordance with military protocol.

"Seems you're up on how to salute," Edward said, "Sadly, your respect towards civilians appears to be lacking."

"What do you mean, sir?" the guy asked.

"Please, do not insult my intelligence nor my abilities," Edward said calmly, "See, I've got very good ears, almost as good as Superman, to be honest.

"I heard every word of not only your encounter with a cashier in the store, but, how you are treating your lovely wife as well.

"I'm going to say this, just once. You are a DISGRACE to the uniform and you do not deserve to be wearing it, nor the rank insignia upon your shoulders! You have committed Article 32 worthy violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and I would be within my rights as a very senior officer and under the regulations to field demote you right here, right now.

"But, I will give you an opportunity to correct this error of judgment. You can play nice and double-time march your rump roast into the store and apologize for every single word you said to that cashier that was not in accordance with military regulations and I will forget we had this chat."

"And if I refuse?" the guy said.

"I WILL BURY YOUR CAREER, PRIVATE!" Edward snarled, "You would be lucky to be assigned to latrine duty somewhere! You'd end up most likely assigned to some lonely outpost in Alaska and forgotten for a few years.

"Would you like to reconsider? Choose wisely."

Well, he chose all right. A look of rage came over the man's features and he tried to take a swing, only to have his punch hit an ebon black wall.

"AAARRRGH!" he yelled.

"I should charge you with insubordination and assaulting a superior officer for that," Edward said, picking the man up one handed, "You're lucky that Raven here intervened.

"Raven, call back to the Tower and have the MPs meet us here, please."

Raven did just that.

"You're under arrest for insubordination, and conduct unbecoming an officer," Edward said in an icy voice.

About 15 minutes later, the arriving Military Police came into the parking lot and Edward identified himself and informed them to that he was transferring custody of the prisoner to them and that he was to be confined to a holding cell.

His wife looked stunned at what was happening, though. After her husband was taken away in handcuffs, she wheeled on Edward:

"Now what am I supposed to do to get home? How am I supposed to tell my little girl that daddy isn't coming home for a while?"

"Ma'am, I am sorry that had to happen. I was being quite nice about it," Edward said, "Had he taken the option presented, I would have let this slide. I'm not heartless. I will give it some thought, though.

"As for getting home, do you have a way to change the tire? Raven and I would be glad to help you in this respect."

She opened the trunk and looked for the spare tire. Her shoulders slumped.

"Don't worry about that," Raven said, "The tire is merely deflated, not damaged. We'll take your car to a gas station or the Tower to get it taken care of."

"Tower?" the woman asked.

Edward pointed toward Titan Tower.

"You're _that_ Edward?" she asked.

"At your service," Edward said.

The young woman smiled and said, "My little girl adores you Titans. Would you…"

"It'd be a pleasure, miss," Edward said, "Let's get your car back on the road first, then, when you want to, give me a call and we'll arrange some time for your little one."

"That's great," the woman said, "Janey's turning 8 next week and this would be a nice present."

"It would," Edward agreed, "Bring her over on her birthday, then, if that's acceptable."

"I'd have to talk to my husband…who you just put into jail," she said.

"I'm not going to ruin your daughter's birthday, miss," Edward said, "He'll have to spend a few days cooling his heels as a lesson, but, he will be released in time for Janey's birthday. You have my word on that. I'll order his release in 72 hours and recommend to his superior officer that he be sentenced to time served and a fine."

She smiled, as did Raven.

"Gas station or the Tower?" Edward asked.

"I'm already late getting my daughter," the woman replied.

"Gas station, it is, then," Edward said, "If you'd hop in, I'll take you."

Susan got in and Edward conferred with Raven for a moment.

Edward morphed to a mini dragon and took to the air.

"Hang on," Raven advised Susan as she said, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The car was floated into the air and Edward gently took over.

Raven got onto Edward's back and they headed for the first service station with an air pump.

It didn't take long to find one and the procedure was reversed.

After returning to human form, Edward noted that the air pump needed 50 cents to turn on. He put that into the machine and not only refilled the flat tire, made sure that the other tires were properly inflated.

Susan thanked him for the help and the promise to release her husband before heading home, with the Tower's land line number written down.

Edward and Raven teleported back to the Tower then. Edward used his method and Raven used hers. It was a game that they enjoyed, though.

**[Titan Tower – Common area]**

Raven barely beat Edward back to the Common area and smiled softly. She was very pleased with her boyfriend. He was returning to his regular self and she sighed.

_Finally, my love is returning to normal. I was so worried he'd lose his temper with that guy,_ she thought, _And, I sense he's reached a decision on something major, but, he's actively blocking his mind._

"Hey, hon," Edward called out, "Where did you put the stuff for the dinner?"

"Welcome back," Jericho signed, "Robin put the stuff away for you. Raven said that you were dealing with a problem?"

Edward explained as he located the items from the store.

"Wow!" Jericho said, "You're a general?"

"I've been technically retired for a while," Edward said, "I have a gentleman's agreement with the White House to come back should there be another war at the same rank."

Raven busied herself opening the various cans and smiled again. Since there was no longer even a remote chance of her father returning, her fears of openly showing emotions died with him. The other Titans had noticed the remarkable change in her personality. It was more than that, though. Raven was actively projecting her joy to the others, especially Edward.

She had also realized that she loved cooking. She had been discouraged after the "Pancake Disaster". The guys really did try to bolster her spirits then. She tried so hard that fateful day, but, seeing Cyborg falling over with Robin and Beast Boy barfing at the same time and Starfire comparing the pancakes to "the incinerated glorka roaches" on Tamaran.

Since then, though, Edward broke through her inability to cook almost right away. They made a great team in the kitchen, plain and simple.

Edward and Raven, ended up teaming up together on several projects and tonight was no exception. They cut the onions and the garlic in a few minutes, then, put the tomato products in the pot. They added plenty of Italian seasonings, garlic powder, onion powder and finally let it simmer.

Edward separated about 25% of the sauce for Beast Boy, Arella and Jericho as they were vegetarians. With that done, he added several pork short ribs to the rest of the sauce and set both to cooking

**[90 minutes later****]**

The vegetarian sauce was pretty much done, except for just letting it thicken, so, Edward added a 1/8th teaspoon of baking soda to the sauce, reducing the acid content and enhancing the natural sugar in the tomatoes at the same time. He took a taste and judged it almost ready. He added a pinch more Italian seasoning and let that mingle.

He moved to the meaty sauce and considered removing the short ribs, but, left them in. He repeated the process of minor adjustments and baking soda. Then, he added ground beef and sausage to the sauce and let that simmer for another hour.

When that was done, he tasted the sauce and after adding another 1/8th teaspoon of baking soda to both pots, he removed the short ribs from the meat sauce and he discovered they were extremely tender. He decided to enjoy one of them and offered a rib each to the other Titans.

Cyborg stripped the meat off the bone and declared it "Delicious!"

That compliment was echoed by the rest of the meat eating Titans.

"That will hold you guys till the rest of this is done," Edward said.

For the vegetarians, he allowed them to get a small bowl of sauce to hold them over.

Jericho took a taste and he rapidly signed, "This sauce is AWESOME! Thank you so much!"

Edward and Raven smiled broadly.

[And you thought you can't cook, Rae,] he said via the link.

[I've got a good teacher,] she replied.

[Ah, but, we're not quite done. You get to help here,] he stated, [Get the noodles and the pot, please.]

She got the requested items and filled the pot with water.

Edward then talked her through mixing the cheeses for the filling. When that was done, the water was boiling and Edward had Raven add the noodles to the water.

When the noodles were half-done, he drained them and talked Raven through the rest of the process, watching over her shoulder to be safe.

"You're doing fine, Rae," he said, "We have the sauce base down, let's add the noodles to the layer."

A few moments later, "Great! Add the cheese layer, please."

Raven added the cheese and another layer of noodles. They repeated the sauce, noodles, and cheese layer a couple of more times, ending with a final sauce layer.

"Let's make sure that the sauce covers the noodles, no sense having them over toasted," Edward said.

They added a layer of fresh mozzarella cheese to the top and covered it with non-stick foil. That first one was the veggie lasagna and it was set aside.

Then, they assembled the larger meaty pan. By then, the oven was at 350F and ready to receive the two pans of lasagna.

**[An hour later]**

Edward removed the foil from the two pans and put the oven into broil mode and put them back in to allow the cheese to brown quickly.

That didn't take long to do and a scant five minutes later, the cheese was a nice golden brown and the oven turned off as the pans were removed.

The hardest part: Keeping Cyborg away from the dinner for the next few minutes while the cheeses set.

But, after several long hours, the dinner was done. Slabs of lasagna and garlic bread were doled out as well as a salad.

[This is turning into a big family affair, honey,] Edward said.

Raven merely smiled softly at that one as the team enjoyed their treat.

That was until the alarm sounded.

"Dang," Edward muttered.

"Looks like a ship in trouble," Robin said, "It's about 50 miles west of the Tower.

"We'll take the T-sub for this one. Jericho and Arella stay back, though. Titans, GO!"

The team raced for the undersea vehicle and within moments, they were speeding through the underwater tunnel and heading west.

**[50 miles west…30 minutes earlier.]**

The _Concordia_ was a US flagged cruise liner with regular trips between Los Angeles and the resorts of western Mexico.

Well, this trip had just gone from routine to a disaster. There had been an explosion on board the vessel, in the engine room.

Within moments, there was fuel spraying from a dozen places. What no one knew, though, that this was no accident. It was an act of terrorism designed to sink the vessel quickly.

But, it wasn't quick enough. The captain ordered a distress call to be sent out before the power died completely. The ship was crippled and adrift in the ocean.

Further explosions rocked the ship as well. The later explosions punched through the hull of the ship.

As the T-sub approached in response to the distress call, Robin was trying to raise the ship on the radio without luck.

Edward had opted to ride on Raven's shoulder in his mini-dragon form as the sub was designed for the original five Titans.

As the got closer, though, Raven was getting more worried.

"I'm picking up a lot of panic," she said to Edward.

"It'll be OK, sweetheart," Edward said.

They surfaced as they approached the stricken ship and saw that it had settled in the water a bit.

"Can we get them on the radio?" Edward asked.

"No, their systems are dead," Robin said, "There are fires raging throughout the lower decks.

"I think she will sink, sooner rather than later. We gotta hurry."

"Pull their passenger manifest and employee manifest," Edward said, "Need to know how many souls on board."

"Already done," Cyborg said, "According to the listed manifest, there are 2500 souls on board with lifeboats capable of holding 3,000 total passengers.

"The systems are a dual electric and manual deployment, though. With the power dead, they will have difficulty in deploying the lifeboats."

"Shouldn't be a problem for us," Edward said, "We'll get them off. What about other rescue craft?"

"Coast Guard is deploying ships, so is the US Navy," Robin said, "There are also three passenger liners heading this way."

Edward teleported to outside the T-Sub and dove into the warm waters.

[This feels good,] he said, [I'm going to swim around the ship and see about hull damage.]

[All right, hon,] Raven said. She relayed that to Robin who agreed with the idea.

Edward switched to a dolphin form and swam around the ship, noting several ragged holes in the plating. Those were large enough to sink the vessel.

[Not good!] Edward relayed, [There are several large holes in the hull, too large to repair. The rescue ships might not get here in time.]

Edward went to his Dragon form and breached the surface of the ocean and swam back to the stricken ship.

As he approached, the gathered passengers let out a collective cheer.

"Don't be cheering me just yet, y'all!" Edward said, "We gotta get you off this ship! As in yesterday!"

The T-Sub had also taken up position nearby and the other Titans were ready to be deployed.

"Titans, get aboard and help passengers to the lifeboats," the captain called down via a bullhorn.

"You heard the man," Robin said. He fired off a grappling hook and used that to get aboard. Starfire picked up Cyborg and they headed aboard. Raven and Beast Boy flew up as did Edward, who had to dive for a moment to get the speed needed to get airborne.

"Let's rock," Edward said after going back to human form.

They deployed themselves at various positions along the ship and started guiding people to the lifeboats.

As expected, there was some panic aboard as folks realized that the ship was going down.

The lifeboats were leaving half full and Edward put a stop to that instantly. He remembered his time on the _Titanic_ and his outrage that the first lifeboats were barely full.

"Edward to all Titans," he said into his communicator, "No lifeboat is to be deployed with less than 95% capacity, unless it's the last few boats."

Also, some of the lifeboats were hard to deploy without ship's power. Those were brute forced by Edward, Starfire or Cyborg.

"Terra to Edward," Terra said.

"Go, Terra," Edward said, "What ya got?"

"Hello, geomancer powers, remember?" she said, "I might be able to lift the ocean floor."

Edward thought about it and knew that the depth was going to be hard for her to overcome. Her powers, while they had returned fully over the last few months might not have the ability to lift thousands of tons of rock about 5,000 feet. He was also concerned about setting off a tsunami in the process.

"I'd advise against that, little lady," Edward said, "You're talking about a lot of weight and about 5,000 feet of earth/rock tower to force up. If you overstrained your powers and that collapsed…it could set off a tsunami. That would cause untold damage and deaths."

"I can do this, Edward," she protested.

"Terra, I love you for wanting to try this, but, I can't recommend that," Edward said.

"Edward's right Terra," Robin said, "We can't risk that. I have to veto that."

Terra looked upset, but, surrendered that point.

Edward had opted to go through the ship and make sure that everyone was on deck that needed to be.

But, to do so, he needed to go through a lot of smoke in the process.

As he moved through the decks, the smoke got worse and he was forced to crawl after a while.

He would check doors that were closed and leave them open if there was no one there.

Some doors were locked with Do Not Disturb signs on them. Edward couldn't comply and pounded on the door, telling folks to evacuate the ship.

A few thought it was smart to tell Edward to go away, only to see their door knocked down.

"Haul your ass!" Edward snarled, "This isn't a damn drill!"

Edward came across some locked gates and that got his blood boiling in a big way. Those gates were ripped out and mangled. That allowed some folks to run for safety.

[What's wrong, dear?] Raven asked, [I can feel your anger through the link.]

[Whoever thought to install gates better have a damn good reason because I'm wasting time tearing them down. Let Robin know to expect more passengers and crew,] Edward said.

As Edward got down to the lower decks, the flooding was very obvious. Oily water was everywhere and it was a matter of time before that ignited.

In fact, it was sooner than Edward wanted. A secondary explosion was heard and a moment later, a ball of flame raced toward Edward!

"SHIT!" he exclaimed verbally and through the link.

Edward then transformed to Dragon and countered the racing flame with a sustained icy burst that while it lessened the force that slammed Edward, ignited the oil and fuel regardless. That ended his search.

[You all right?] Raven asked.

[Hope you like smoked lizard,] he quipped, [Everyone OK?]

[What was that rumble?] she asked.

[Secondary explosion,] he explained.

[Well, get back up here!] Raven said, [Whatever that was just increased the damage to the ship. Smoke and flame are pouring out of the ship. Cyborg said that there's no time left. We're evacuating.]

As Edward watched, a bulkhead collapsed and a wall of water headed his way.

He formed a mini-dragon and teleported as the wall of water hit him.

He emerged from the teleport encased in ice! That didn't last as it was quickly covered in Raven's powers and shattered.

Edward gasped and said, "That sucked! Thanks, Raven!"

The lifeboats were deployed and the last ones off were the senior staff and the Titans themselves.

It was in time as about 15 minutes later, the ship slowly capsized and "turned turtle". There were underwater explosions and one that blasted a hole in the keel.

As the survivors watched in horror, the ship sank beneath the waves. As it sank deeper, they heard the implosion of the ship.

The captain said that several folks from the engine room were unaccounted for, but, that the other passengers and crew were safe.

"Captain," Edward said, "Why were their some locked gates?"

"Not for passenger control," he replied, "Those were only for authorized crew members. Why?"

"I had to destroy several of them," Edward admitted.

"Considering my command is halfway to the ocean floor, mangled gates just doesn't seem all that important," the man said.

Edward put his hand on the captain's shoulder, "I wouldn't worry too much. The damage I saw from the hull showed explosions from inside the ship. More powerful than what I would have suspected could sink her."

"Damn," he said, "Anyway to verify that?"

"Not without specialized equipment," Edward said, "I can't go that deep, even. That's why I haven't swam to the _Titanic_."

"You were there?" Robin asked.

"I was," Edward said, "I'll tell you guys the story sometime."

**[An hour later]**

The lifeboats were being picked up by the several vessels that arrived in response to the distress call and the Titans were en route home after a long day.

Edward was bothered, though. He knew ships had a lot more safety features built in over the last 100 years since _Titanic_ went to Davy Jones' locker.

Yet, this ship had just sank into thousands of feet of water for no reason.

_Why would this ship have exploded?_ He thought.

"I don't know, dear," Raven said aloud.

"Yo, dawg!" Cyborg said, "My scanners detected the presence of explosives. With the excitement, we couldn't really act on the information."

"Agreed," Edward said, "We had to focus on getting as many off as possible. But, some folks didn't make it, so, if this was an act of terrorism…"

"We take them down," Robin said.

"Damn straight," Edward said.

Edward gave it some thought and decided to investigate alongside the official inquiry, but, he had a feeling that this was an act of terrorism. He would access the tower's AI system when they got back and have it start working on theories.

"Victor," he said, "hang onto those readings, please. I'm not liking what I'm seeing.

"Ship was in the middle of nowhere and sinks. Nothing around for miles to sink her.

"Then, there are explosions on board and your scanners picked up explosives during the rescue attempt, evidence which is beyond even my abilities to recover easily.

"The holes I saw from outside the ship bear that out as well as those were certainly blown outwards.

"Then, before she sinks, it capsized and a hole in blasted through the keel. That makes me wonder if that final explosion wasn't supposed to have happened earlier."

"What do you mean, friend Edward?" Starfire asked.

"Had that explosion happened first, that ship would have sank in minutes, if they were lucky," Edward said, "I've seen other ships sinking that fast. Put a large enough hole in a ship's keel and it can sink with the propellers still going at full speed. American and Japanese ships sometimes sank 45 to 90 seconds after being hit. If their weapons holds were hit, those would violently explode."

"Are you saying that we should treat this as a terrorist act?" Robin asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Robin," Edward said, "I've got some contacts in the Navy and I might be able to secure the use of Naval assets to prove this theory.

"Sadly, this is too deep for me to handle, as I said. I would need to use forms that are more suited for those pressures and even that's risky for me. A sub that could handle those depth is easier."

Robin smiled, "Don't worry about that. We've got some outside help of our own who can handle those depths without any problems."

* * *

_OK, I know the second section (regarding the ship) kind of sucks, but, there this sets up Aqualad at some point._

_The first section is based loosely on a real life incident with a friend of mine, but, I fictionalized it to include how I would have loved to see things go.  
_

_Chapter 3 coming up :)  
_


	3. Edward pops THE question!

**Chapter 3  
[Later that night]**

Edward hadn't forgotten what he was going to ask Raven that night and he was nervous about it, even though he knew what the answer would be.

He had wanted to ask after dinner, but, the rescue operation had intervened in the meanwhile. There was the small box in his room, tucked away in a safe place and within that box was a ring that he had bought recently. It wasn't cheap, either to have made.

He did get the ring set to Raven's size by temporarily assuming her form at the jewelry shop and swore the man to silence after it was made. The problem was that while he was sure Raven would love it, he was having to hide that away from her empathic skills.

The team was enjoying a late pizza dinner at the Tower and Edward excused himself to get the box.

He returned a few minutes later and took a deep breath.

"Rachel," he started, "Since I met you, we both know it was love at first sight. We've been through so much already and, well, there is a question that I have to ask of you."

He pulled out the box and after opening it, got down on a knee.

"Rachel Roth…will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"YES!" she said, tears flowing down her cheeks.

The other Titans jaws hit the floor as Edward put the ring on her finger and she raised him up and kissed her new fiancée deeply.

The team broke out cheering at that, whooping and hollering (Jericho was limited to clapping, of course).

Arella was stunned but recovered quickly, giving her daughter a hug. But, that was gentle compared to Starfire! She tackled Edward in a monster hug!

That was followed by all the Titans, of course.

"Congrats," Jericho signed, "Raven's a good choice!"

"That he is," Arella said, "I always dreamt that my little girl could be free to feel, to love, and be loved."

"Looks like we have a wedding to plan," Robin said.

"You'd be correct, my friend!" Edward said, "It's been a long time, but, it feels so right!"

"Glorious, friend Edward," Starfire said as she did circles in the air, "May X'Hal be with you!"

Edward had to remember that this was a deity from Tamaran.

"It's about time," Cyborg said, "We were waiting for you to ask her, man!"

Terra came over and gave Edward a kiss on the cheek and Raven accepted a hug from the troubled geomancer. Then, she accepted a hug from Beast Boy as well.

Robin went to excuse himself and went to the Titan's main communications station.

"Robin to Batman," he said.

"Batman here," the Dark Knight replied a minute later.

"I've got some good news!" Robin said, "Edward and Raven just got engaged!"

That got a smile from Batman.

"That's excellent news, Robin!" he said, "May I speak with them, in private?"

"Sure!" Robin said, "Everyone except for Edward and Raven, out for a few minutes, please."

The other Titans filed out of the Commons as Edward and Raven sat down.

"Would you turn on the channel encryption?" Batman asked. Edward hit a key on the console and Batman did the same on his end.

"Secure Communications ON" appeared on the video screen.

"First off, on behalf of the Justice League, I offer our congratulations to both of you," Batman said, then, removed his cowl, allowing them to see Bruce Wayne instead.

"As well as my personal congratulations as well, as Bruce Wayne, not Batman. You've done a great job, Edward and Raven."

"It's Rachel," Raven said, "You are entrusting me with your identity, I will do the same."

"I'm aware that Edward figured it out months ago," Bruce said kindly, "But, I did some digging of my own and that trust is well earned. There are some records dating back well over 100 years and then folklore from the previous century and a half. You were in New York State at one time, right?"

"I was," Edward replied, "It was still a colony at the time and I had come across a family exiled in time."

"Exiled in time?" Raven asked.

"It's hard to explain," Edward replied, "They had been born in this century, actually, and several entities had disrupted the timeline. When it was restored, this family found itself exiled in the past, starting in 1750. I found them by accident shortly after they arrived and we became fast friends and allies. Eventually, they 'adopted' me into their family.

"It was a struggle, though. Their enemies also existed back then, and, we fought several very nasty battles.

"I even fell in love there and married a reptilian shapeshifter. Regrettably, she passed on in the early 1800s."

"I am sorry to hear that," Bruce said.

"It was a very long time ago, Mr. Wayne," Edward said.

[Does that explain your loneliness when we first met?] Raven asked telepathically.

[It does, Rachel, I have not remarried since then,] Edward replied.

"Please, it's Bruce to you two," he said, "I should, by rights and respect, call you Mr. Barnes."

"Tell you what," Edward said, "Call me Edward, then. Formalities are all right, but, as long as there's mutual respect, it's all good."

"Well, I'd like to invite you two over to the Manor for dinner," Bruce said.

"I know," Edward said, "Richard already told me. I was planning on calling your butler in the morning."

"No need," Bruce said, "Is tomorrow night good for you?"

Raven nodded and Edward said, "That's perfect. Your butler can surprise us with whatever he'd like. Richard said something about pot roast, though."

"Ahh, I see my former ward is still partial to Alfred's cooking," Bruce said with a smile.

Bruce looked like he was debating something for a moment.

"As my wedding present to you two, I would like to offer the Manor as a wedding spot and to pick up the expenses," he said, "It's got more space than the island where the Tower is, just in case."

"You've already done so much for the entire team, though," Edward said, "We're greatly honored, though."

[That's a sweet offer, dear. Bruce Wayne doesn't offer his place to many folks,] Raven explained.

Edward nodded, "We accept, Bruce."

"Excellent!" he said, "I will have Alfred start making arrangements, as soon as you can settle on a date."

"What about Dick, though?" Raven asked.

"What about him?" Bruce said, "He felt that it was time to lose the 'Batman and …' aspect before forming the Teen Titans. Yes, I'm still sore about how he ended the partnership. That doesn't mean I won't forgive and forget. He's still family and welcome at Wayne Manor whenever he would like to visit. Alfred still sends him cards and letters. Tim still adores Dick and feels honored to wear a Robin costume."

"Another Robin?" Edward asked.

"Tim's still in training and not allowed to go on missions," Bruce said, "He's got a lot of promise."

[We've got company,] Raven said, [Don't be obvious about it, but, there's a green fly in here.]

[OK, I'll deal with BB,] he said.

"Would you excuse me for a moment, Bruce…Little Dragon's Room visit," Edward said.

"That's OK," Bruce said, his eyes tracking something in the background, "Dinner will be at 6 PM. See you then." The picture faded.

Edward morphed into his tiny Dragon form and twisting his neck, fired off a low voltage lightning bolt.

That was followed by Beast Boy morphing back to human and hitting the floor. He was smoking from the impact.

"OUCH!" he complained.

Edward morphed back and said, "Rae…Your turn."

Beast Boy didn't have time to react as he was phased not only outside of the Tower, she teleported him to a spot about 30 miles away from the Tower!

"Enjoy the flight back solo," she said, "Next time you eavesdrop, it will require Terra to dig you out." She teleported back, by herself.

She chuckled, "Heh heh heh! He's gonna be one tired Beast Boy."

"Long trip back?" Edward asked.

"About 30 miles," Raven said. Edward broke out laughing as well.

"Serves him right," Edward said, "I think Bruce saw BB as well."

"He did, love," Raven replied.

"I got one more punishment for him," Edward said. He filled Raven in on the plan and she was laughing by the time he was done.

"You're wicked, my dear," she said.

"Not all the time, my sweet," Edward said with a chuckle as the others came back.

"Cyborg," Edward called out, "My brother, I have a question to ask you."

"Sure," Cyborg said.

"I need to set something up for Beast Boy when he gets back," Edward said, then, explained the plan to the other Titans so they'd know to stay out of the way.

"Where is Beast Boy?" Robin asked.

"Oh, he's probably flying back," Raven said, "We caught him eavesdropping and, well, Edward zapped him and I teleported him about 30 miles from here."

"Serves him right," Robin said, "You two can teach him a lesson."

"Well, next time, he'll need our lithe rock-and-rolla to dig him out," Edward said.

"You wouldn't?" Terra exclaimed.

"Tara, you're sweet, but, sometimes a tiny bit naïve when it comes to BB," Edward said, "He's got a history of eavesdropping when it's not needed. You've not seen me as a fly eavesdropping in on your talks with Garfield, and you never will."

"We might not literally bury him, Terra," Raven added, "But, when we're done with him…he'll have learned a lesson."

"We won't hurt him any more than he will be when he gets home," Edward said, "Despite my immortality, you've seen me get worn out after a heavy fight. Sadly, Beast Boy needs the exercise. He wears out way too fast. And, besides, when he pops you a certain question, you might want a boyfriend/husband with some staying power."

Terra blushed deeply. "My apologies, dear," Edward said, "I did not mean to embarrass you."

Terra stuck out her tongue and said, "Can I be in on the fun?"

"Me too," Cyborg said.

"Why not?" Raven said.

"Can I take part of the prank of punishment?" Starfire asked.

"Cyborg, time for the ultimate stankball," Edward said, "I got this stuff from the mall that will put an extra stink into the ball.

"Then, you'll recall when Cyborg got on my pranking side, right, Terra?"

She said, "Boy, do I! I loved seeing Cyborg doing all the chores around the Tower! Whatcha got planned?"

"Something with Ghost Chili extract in it. I know he'll be starved when he gets home and will want something to eat. There's still some tofu that he likes. Spike that with 5 or 8 drops and he'll be breathing fire," Edward said with a laugh. Everyone else laughed as they pictured Beast Boy taking a couple bites, then, turning bright red and spewing flame.

"Can I do that?" Cyborg asked.

"Nah, you got the stankball to make, remember? Go into my room and you will find, in a plastic bag a bottle with 'Liquid Ass' on it. Get the bag and when you make the ball, make sure to spray it liberally with the stuff. Please, open the windows when you make it. Also, point the fan out the window," Edward replied with an evil laugh.

Edward continued, "Tara, go with Victor and in my personal fridge, you'll see on the door a small bottle marked Ghost Chili Extract with an eye dropper. Get that, then, go to the main fridge and get the block of tofu and the chipotle BBQ sauce he likes. Then, open the extract and fill the eyedropper.

"The tofu, if memory serves, is merely wrapped in plastic. It should be easy enough to carefully lift up and put that extract in the middle of the plate, then, put the tofu on top of that liquid. And, then, it goes back into the fridge.

"If you want to, put a few drops in the BBQ sauce and shake it well."

"Starfire, you get payback for his first joke meant for Cyborg, but, got you instead," Edward said. Starfire beamed and said, "The balloon of oil?"

"Sort of," Edward said, "It's a balloon, but, it will have red dye in it as well."

Cyborg laughed, "A combination of pranks! BB won't know what hit him! HA HA HA HA!"

"But, the thing is this," Edward said, "He might be suspecting traps when he gets back and could be looking for them. How do we get him into position?"

Jericho waved frantically and signed, "I love this idea! I'm in!"

Edward chuckled, "Joey, you're devious! I love it! Thing to do here is if he's seriously balking here, then, possess him for just a moment, just long enough to get him into position. The thing here is that he will not appreciate being dragged kicking and screaming, so, I don't want him royally angry at us." (Jericho had told them his real name previously).

They spent the next hour rigging up all the little traps and waited.

**[An hour later]**

Beast Boy landed on the roof of the Tower, very sore and hungry.

"Man, why did I eavesdrop on them?" he groaned as the elevator arrived and he went to the main floor.

As he left, he noticed that the lights were out.

"Great," he said, "The others went to bed already."

But, as he walked past Raven's door, he didn't see that it was open. That allowed Raven to hide the ultimate in stankballs in her dark aura.

"Oh, Garfield," he heard.

"Raven?" he asked, "What are you…OOOFFFF!"

He had been clobbered by the ball of stink and he gasped involuntarily.

"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT STANK?" he yelled.

"The ultimate stankball, honeybear," Terra said laughing…and holding her tank top over her nose as well.

"UGH! PU, this is seriously rank! I'm gonna hurl!" Beast Boy said, gagging at the smell of pig crap, mixed with rotten eggs and he swore a two week deceased cow that was left to rot in the Phoenix heat. He ran for the main bathroom.

Raven was trying hard not to laugh and ruin her image, but, in the end, she was barely able to stand, she was laughing so hard.

"It's going to take a week to get this stink off me," he groused after coming out of the bathroom several minutes later.

He found the plate of tofu that he was wanting to enjoy and the first few bites were very good with the BBQ sauce he added.

Then, everyone in the tower heard a bellow of pain from the kitchen as he bit into the spiked area and the ghost chili extract…pure blistering heat assaulted his taste buds.

"Where's the soymilk?" he yelled.

Edward walked around the corner and handed him a bottle. Beast Boy drank without thinking and while it certainly helped, BB let off a yelp when he saw "Whole Milk" on the empty bottle.

"Sorry," Edward said, "I must have grabbed the wrong bottle. Fortunately, whole milk won't hurt you."

Edward got a good whiff of the Liquid Ass and said, "Phew! What did you crash into in the way back? A cow pasture in need of serious cleanup?"

Beast Boy sent Edward a death glare and headed off towards his room after saying, "Yuk it up, Lightning head. Your fiancée clobbered me with the worst stankball ever. And who hit my tofu with whatever that was? My taste buds are still burning!"

Edward was having a hard time keeping his laughter under control, but, he heard Raven's laughing through the link.

Beast Boy was so ticked that he didn't notice Starfire with the last part of the lesson. That was until he heard a "TWANG!" and a giggle.

"Oh, no!" he muttered as the balloon hit Beast Boy. In seconds, he was covered in a mix of motor oil and red dye.

Edward came up and said, "Don't forget to change that oil every 3,000 miles…HA HA HA HA HA!"

Beast Boy looked at Edward and sighed, "I guess I deserved all those. I'm going to hit the shower."

Edward waited till Beast Boy was in his room for several minutes, then heard…"NOT AGAIN!"

Edward called the others and was still barely holding his laughter.

As Beast Boy stormed out of his room, he was greeted by all the other Titans and Arella.

"You know, Beast Boy," Robin said, "That shade of brown really makes you stand out, and so does that smell!"

Everyone started laughing. That did it for Edward, he broke out in the biggest laugh he'd enjoyed since Raven's "kids" left…Heck, he hadn't laughed so hard since before he joined the team.

"Great…First zapped by Edward, have to fly home cause Raven teleported me 30 miles away, and then looking and smelling like dookie!" Beast Boy groused.

"No more eavesdropping, got it?" Edward asked seriously, "When Raven and I need privacy, you best not try to be a fly on the wall again. Consider yourself warned, Garfield Mark Logan. I won't tolerate it and neither will the other Titans."

"If it's during a MISSION, that's fine," Robin said, adding his authority, "But, around here, it's not allowed unless authorized. You're lucky that you only got pranked hard. Next time, I will have to suspend you from the team and I don't want to do that.

"Oh, you get to clean up the mess as well. When that's done, your punishment will be deemed over."

"Sorry, Edward and Raven," Beast Boy said.

[Accept the apology?] Raven asked.

[It'll take a week for that dye to fully come off. He can sweat it until then,] Edward decided, [but, I won't stop you if you want to accept the apology.]

Raven thought about it and said, "I'll accept that apology, Beast Boy. But, let me remind you of something…" She glared at him then turned him into a brown rat.

"Don't do that again or you might be stuck in this form for a long time," she warned and allowed him to change back.

Properly rebuked, poor Beast Boy slunk into his room.

He spent the next hour berating himself for getting caught before sitting down and taking out a few pieces of paper.

He spent the rest of the night writing letters of apology to the team. He had never done that before, but, deep down, he knew he had pushed Edward and Raven a little too far and that Robin was backing them. He realized that he needed to grow up.

**[Next morning]**

Edward awoke to see an envelope under his door and opened it. As he read it, he smiled to himself.

"He must have stayed up a long time writing this apology without being asked or told to," Edward said to himself.

His link with Raven told him that she had gotten a similar letter and she was similarly pleased with the effort.

[Did Beast Boy drop off a letter?] she asked via the link.

[He did,] he replied, [In his own way, he's admitted he screwed up and apologizing big time. I certainly can't stay mad at him now. He's growing up, I think.]

[This is a big change in his actions, that's for sure,] Raven said, [He's never written an apology before, even when he's angered me to the point of not talking to him for a long time. Terra's having a good influence on him.]

"Robin to Edward," he heard and pulled out his communicator.

"Go ahead," Edward said.

"Is it me or did Beast Boy write an apology?" Robin asked.

"Oh, he did," Edward said with a smile, "Rae got one as well. Did you put him up to it?"

"Nope," Robin said, "I was going to ask you that."

"He did this on his own. Regardless, I'm accepting the apology," Edward said, "So, personally, I'm going to let this go. He owned up to his mistake like a man and I'll be forgiving."

"Same here, Edward," Robin said, "I can respect that, but, I have to stand by my threat to suspend him regardless."

"Agreed," Edward said, "It would not be fair to let him completely off the hook."

Later that morning, at breakfast, Edward addressed a tired looking Beast Boy aside. It turned out that he had written an apology to everyone.

"I read your letter this morning," he said, "Thank you for doing that. A big man admits his mistakes and apologizes. I accept your apology and have forgiven you."

"Thanks," Beast Boy said, "What about Raven?"

"I told you last night that I accepted your apology," Raven said, "However, this letter goes beyond that. It gives me a reason to offer you my personal respect. That showed a lot of maturity that was lacking before.

"I respected you as a teammate before this, but, now have earned it on another level."

"So, no more 30 mile flights back?" Beast Boy asked hopefully.

"Nah," Edward said, "But, I wouldn't rule out a 100 mile flight."

"Eep!" Beast Boy said.

Cyborg added, "Pranks and jokes are all right, B, but, it's not funny when we catch you eavesdropping. Edward and Raven were expecting a private conversation with Batman and, well, you know his secret identity without his permission. Edward would be within his rights to drag you to Gotham and make you apologize in person."

Robin said, "Beast Boy, I was real close to asking you to turn in your communicator for a while when I heard what had happened. Like I said last night, be glad I allowed the team to prank you instead. But, I need to make one thing crystal clear: If you ever reveal Batman's secret identity without his permission, you will be kicked out of the Titans and escorted from the Tower. Terra's already agreed to not interfere should that become necessary.

"We all consider you to be a friend, Garfield. We've tolerated the bad jokes and the pranks as we knew they are stress relievers for you and we will continue to do that. But, we also have to stress on you the importance of keeping Batman's secret identity to yourself.

"I might have issues with Batman, but, I would **never** betray the trust I worked very hard to earn. People can be hurt or killed due to Batman's secret identity being made public. Just like if Superman's identity gets leaked, his enemies would attack Superman via the friends he has in his other identity."

"Just keep that in mind, K?" Edward said, "But, I think you learned your lesson. Hope you enjoy the next week or so before that dye wears off. I gotta run, though. Robin asked Rae and I to do a patrol of the city before we leave for an appointment.

"One last thing to back up with Robin said…If you ever reveal what you saw last night to ANYONE outside of this building, you will be explaining to Robin's mentor why and hoping he doesn't decide to stick you in his rogues gallery…Right between Joker and the Riddler or maybe roomies with Two-Face for a while.

"You know how I get when Raven's attacked and she's unable to protect herself? Imagine how angry Batman would be if the folks he is close to in his other identity were to be harmed? Imagine the wrath of Superman as well.

"Raven has the link to try to calm me when my anger is going strong cause then I know she's going to be OK. It's when the link is disrupted or I see when she's been knocked into the next county when I get really upset, correct?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy said, "You are almost impossible to stop when in that frame of mind."

"I do not like when that happens, friends," Edward said, "But, it's part of my nature, though. I am very protective of my fiancée and my family. You guys are my family now. That means I hate when my draconic nature asserts itself and frightens the hell out of everyone here. You guys know me well enough, though, that the chances are good that any of you can punch through my emotions and get me to calm down. If that doesn't work, y'all can do whatever it takes to prevent a tragic occurrence. Star's the closest one here to me in terms of raw strength, for example. Terra could, if push came to shove use her abilities to restrain me in the very earth. She puts enough on me and even I can't escape using brute force.

"I can't excuse when this happens, and, well, in the last few weeks, you guys have been very supportive. It goes without saying…Everyone's invited to the wedding."

"Me too?" Jericho signed.

"Of course!" Edward said, "You're an Honorary Titan and that gives you an invitation.

"Well, Raven and I need to do that patrol, so, if you'll excuse us?"

Edward moved down the hall and soon as he was out of hearing, broke out laughing.

[What's so funny, dear?] Raven asked.

[Just picturing Beast Boy explaining to Batman how his secret identity was exposed,] Edward replied, [I know, it's not that funny. I was more thinking Beast Boy as Two-Face's roommate or maybe the Joker's new best friend.]

[Uhh…that's cruel and unusual punishment, even for Beast Boy,] Raven said.

That stopped Edward's laughing in a hurry.

[Killjoy,] Edward groused.

[Sorry,] Raven apologized, [You ready for the patrol?]

[Yep,] Edward replied.

[Meet me on the roof, then,] Raven requested.

Edward morphed to mini-dragon and teleported to the roof as Raven did the same.

"First patrol as a true couple," Edward said, taking his soon to be wife into his arms and kissing her.

They came up for air a moment later and decided to patrol known gang land areas.

Even with the Titans there, gang bangers were still a problem at times and according to the police blotter, they were becoming active again. Robin wanted to increase the patrols in those areas to remind the gangsters that it would be wise to lay low…or better yet, to leave town.

Given they had gang issues right after Edward joined the team, it had been a higher priority with the team. A daylight patrol would subtly remind the citizens that they were a lot safer with the resident superheroes in their midst.

Edward and Raven headed off for their areas a few moments later. Edward opted to fly there as it was a perfect day for flying. The thermals from the downtown area were more than enough to allow him to glide around.

**[30 minutes later]**

Edward was over the Palm Street area, where he put the "Homies" out of business after one of their members stuck a knife into his side.

He had noticed that the area looked a lot better since his last visit. Several former gang bangers had actually taken Edward up on his invitation and on non-patrol days, they would meet. Others were there due to court ordered community service.

Needless to say, the ones there due to court order were not happy, but, as Edward explained to them at the time, it beat getting flogged in the city square and spending time in the stocks, having rotten fruits, rotten vegetables and spoiled eggs hurled at them and it sure beat getting whipped by a slave owner.

They still begrudged their time under community service sentencing, but, they worked their way through it.

Well, as time went by, the ones that were there voluntarily, for the most part, cleaned up their lives and were on their way to a brighter future. As Edward and later on the other Titans spent time with the troubled youths, they would eventually ask about help getting a for-real job making honest money. The ones that showed that they were quite serious would get Edward vouching for them and they'd get jobs.

Edward was happy he had done that for a lot of the kids. But, as he flew, he saw what looked like a police chase in progress.

[We might have a minor problem, hon,] he relayed to Raven, [I-5 near the Palmdale Exit. It's a high speed pursuit.]

[OK, I'm on my way,] Raven replied.

Edward sized up the situation and morphed into his "Hawkman" form to be able to get to his communicator.

"Edward to Robin," he said.

"Edward," he said, "I was just about to call you. You near I-5?

"Sure am!" Edward said, "I'm about 50 feet above the police vehicles chasing a suspect."

"Be careful," Robin said, "It came over the scanners that these guys are wanted criminals and are armed. They are escapees from New Mexico State Pen and they have nothing to lose. The vehicle they are in was stolen in Arizona and when the owner tried to stop them, he was gunned down. He didn't make it."

"So, stop them with extreme prejudice, if need be?" Edward asked.

"Not unless there's no other choice. They are wanted in several states now and taking the stolen car across a state line makes it a federal matter as well."

"Let the police know they've got help, then," Edward said, "I don't want to make a move until they are notified. No sense spooking them as well."

"Arella's done that already," Robin said with a grin, "They are waiting for your move."

By then, there were several helicopters following the chase, some were police birds, others were media choppers.

"Great, this is going to be on the noon news," Edward groused.

He put the communicator away and switched to his mini-dragon form again.

He sped past the police cars and let his shadow cover the suspect's car.

One guy looked up and saw Edward flying there.

"Oh, crap!" the guy said, "It's that blasted dragon with the Titans! Gimme that gun!"

He was handed an AK-47 and opened fire! It didn't matter as they flattened against Edward's scales and fell back to earth.

Edward thought for a second and knowing that the police were right behind the suspect, opted against icing the roadway.

A lightning strike, while the car would protect the driver would still be totaled from the voltage Edward was about to unleash. The power surge would kill the car.

Then again, Edward could merely pick up the vehicle or slam into it in his own pit maneuver.

Edward made up his mind and with another morph was able to hit the back end of the speeding car, sending it spinning out of control!

It spun into the median and flipped over, ending the chase once and for all.

Both driver and passenger were dazed but awake after the vehicle came to rest on its side. Edward fixed that problem by giving the vehicle a shove back onto its wheels.

Edward ripped the door off and removed the driver first, then, the police got the other passenger out just in time. A flame was spotted by one of the other policemen and hollered that fact.

A shift to mini-dragon for Edward allowed him to access his ice breath and that made short work of any fire.

By the time the criminals were taken to the hospital by the paramedics, Raven had arrived and surveyed the scene.

Good work, Dear!" she said happily.

"Wait, honey!" Edward said suddenly, "We're not done yet!"

Edward was watching the new birds and saw something that chilled even his blood! Two birds were way too close and Edward leapt into the air! He was still in mini-Dragon form and was joined by Raven a moment later.

The birds collided in mid-air!

"NO!" Edward roared as they started downwards. He only had seconds to act and teleported to underneath the falling helicopters and was able to grab one and bring that to a safe stop, but, missed the second one!

Raven, however, said "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A huge black aura reached out for the remains of the other chopper and attached to it, slowing it to a safe speed.

Raven lowered that to the ground as Edward carried his cargo to the ground a few moments later.

Edward morphed back to human and looked in on the chopper crew that he rescued. They were bloody and bruised, but, they would live to file more stories.

Edward felt through the link an anguished sob and raced over to the mangled remains of the second bird.

Raven latched onto him and said, "I felt them both die!"

Edward's heart sank, then. He held onto his girl and looked at the helicopter. It was obvious that the two people inside had died on impact with the other helicopter.

Raven was putting up a brave face, but, that wouldn't last long.

"It's OK, sweetheart," Edward said sadly, "Let it out."

Raven's resolve slipped then and she started crying into his shoulder quietly.

The police and other emergency services showed up and as they approached Edward he said quietly, "We'll need the coroner as well. Two fatalities."

The police captain on scene got on the radio and made that sad request. The medics, knowing that two were beyond help went to remove the other two from the more intact chopper. They handed Edward two blankets and the meaning was clear.

"I'll be right back," Edward said, "These two need some final dignity shown."

He walked over and covered the corpses. He said a short prayer for mercy to be shown towards each one as they faced their Maker.

The coroner arrived a little while later and as the bodies were extricated Edward and Raven were assailed with several questions and after an hour, they were released.

Edward knew that folks back at the Tower would be concerned and pulled out his communicator.

"Edward to Robin," he said.

"Robin here," he said, "You and Raven all right. We saw what happened on the news."

"Not really," Edward said, "Rae felt both men's deaths. She's badly shaken to the point I doubt she can fly."

"Get back to the Tower ASAP," Robin ordered, "The press is already screaming for a comment from you and Raven."

"Absolutely not!" Edward snarled, "I will not subject Rae to that. We need some privacy, plain and simple. If they want a comment, they can wait until later today. If they push me on this, tell them that they can go kick rocks!"

"We're going to have to put out some kind of statement, though," Robin said gently, trying to defuse Edward's growing annoyance.

Edward sighed, "I know, Robin. Just put out a statement expressing the team's sympathy and condolences. I suppose we'll have to have a press conference sooner rather than later, though. Please call Alfred and let him know that Raven and I send our regrets and can we reschedule the dinner for tomorrow night instead? I'm sure that the news has already reached Gotham anyway."

"It has," Robin confirmed, "Batman already called and relayed a message from Bruce: 'Take all the time you need to deal with this situation. Our dinner meeting can be postponed if needed.'"

"That's good," Edward said, "We'll be home shortly. Edward out."

He closed the communicator and sighed.

"Can you fly?" he asked Raven. She shook her head.

"One Dragon Express coming up, then," Edward said and went back to mini-Dragon form.

"Can you carry me instead?" Raven asked, her eyes pleading.

Edward morphed to his "Hawkman" form and scooped her into his arms.

"Like this, dear?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yeah, I need time to think here. Can we fly back?"

"Sure," he said and got a running start to take off.

Raven buried her head into his shoulder and just wept silently. Waves of remorse were pouring off her and Edward knew she'd be distraught until she could meditate.

He didn't need the link to know that she was hurting over the two deaths.

As Edward flew, he sent gentle waves of calmness into the link and her crying slowed and stopped. A quick check determined that she had cried herself to sleep.

He smiled softly, knowing that the empath felt completely safe in his arms.

"Sleep, Rae," he said quietly.

He landed on the Tower roof 15 minutes later and retracted his wings. He walked to the elevator and ended up using a wingtip to summon the car.

It arrived and wasn't surprised to see Beast Boy there.

"Hi, dude!" he said.

"Not so loud!" Edward said, "Rae cried herself to sleep on the way home. Let me get her into bed, all right?"

Beast Boy nodded, "She'll be OK?"

"Yeah," he replied, "In a few hours, she should be fine. Sleep, then, quiet meditation will set her and the emoticlones right."

They walked into the elevator and Beast Boy hit the button for the main floor.

It opened a moment later to reveal the other Titans there. All looking concerned.

"Is sister Raven OK?" Starfire asked.

"She's sleeping, Kori," Edward said, "She's really upset as she couldn't save those news reporters."

"Go ahead and get her situated," Robin said, "Soon as possible, I'd like to see you and the rest of the team."

Edward nodded, "That's fine."

He headed off to Raven's room and using a wingtip, he punched in the override code. He carefully placed her in bed a few moments later and gave her a soft kiss.

"Sleep well, little angel," he said and morphed back to normal. He left and headed for the main area.

Of course the news was still running the events of the last few hours and as Edward watched, he shook his head.

"This is not good," he said, "The media will spin this to make it Rae's fault until the investigation shows otherwise. That's not going to happen!"

Jericho came over and sat down.

"Raven will be OK?" he signed.

Edward nodded, "She will be, given a few hours. She needs sleep and meditation now."

"Can you feel her now?" Jericho asked.

"A little bit," Edward said, "Usually when she's sleeping, the link is quiet as well. Only the strongest of her dreams leaks through to me."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Jericho asked.

"Sometimes," Edward said, "When she's having nightmares that bleed through, does it bother me. It doesn't hurt, though.

"Now, when she's actually hurt, though, that's different. Those get transmitted to me at times, especially when she's suddenly hurt and can't block the pain signals, that tends to get a reaction out of me."

"What kind of reaction?" Jericho asked.

"Depends," Edward said, "If it's here at the Tower, a simple question through the link is probably going to be the extant of my reaction. If it's in battle, well those guys found out how quickly I react. Some merely got the stuffing beat out of them. Other, more serious attacks, have resulted in the attacker being killed. But, I don't take pleasure in those at all."

"You're a dragon, yet have very human emotions," Jericho said, "Interesting."

"My emotions are much more intense, though," Edward replied, "My anger, as the others have seen, can hit the boiling point pretty quick. I love, laugh, and cry with the rest of the human race. It's not easy, Joe. Humans have it easier with emotions for the most part."

"Why is that?" he asked.

"No idea," Edward said, "Mortals know that there's a very short amount of time, relatively speaking, to know how to deal with being emotional. Raven spent most of her life having to deny they existed, except for very short spans of letting herself laugh.

"Starfire's people thrive on emotions. They have to feel the joy of flight, the righteous anger needed to fire Starbolts and eye beams. If they can't muster up those feelings, they lose their powers temporarily."

The TV showed the impact between the two helicopters and caught Edward going into action as well as Raven. The video clearly showed Edward catching the first helicopter and making the attempt to get the second one and missing before Raven caught it.

They caught Raven as she felt the two pilots die and the immense sadness she felt then as Edward was checking on the two he saved. They caught Edward picking up Raven's vibrations and reacting to those.

"We are still awaiting comment from the Titans on this situation," the reporter said, "All we know is that Edward Barnes made every attempt to save the lives of our friends and colleagues in both helicopters while Raven seemed to have been very upset at the end here.

"A short while later, Edward appeared to talk to Robin and shapeshifted to his mini-Dragon form. Raven asked him something and he morphed to a different form, similar to Hawkgirl. He scooped Raven up and took to the air.

"It should be noted that there are rumors floating around Jump City that they are an actual couple and this appears to bear that out."

Edward sighed and turned off the TV.

"Well, they were going to figure it out at some point," Jericho said.

"True," Edward said, "And we're going to have to go public with the engagement as well. The problem will be if the bad guys decide to take advantage of this or not.

"They don't know how protective I am of Raven. That has me worried. I know Raven can protect herself quite well, though."

"So, don't always jump to protect her," Cyborg said, coming into view, "Sorry, Edward. Didn't mean to eavesdrop on you."

Edward smiled, "No harm done, Victor. Please sit down."

"Raven's been quite capable of handling herself, dawg," Cyborg said, "Trust me, I've known her for several years and she can usually get out of scrapes pretty good. Don't smother her so much. Since Malchior, you've been very antsy with her, handling threats that she can handle on her own. I can see really large problems stepping in to protect her, but, she's been kicked to another dimension and gotten back just fine."

"She has?" Edward asked.

"Yep, a guy named Psimon did it during the fights with the Brotherhood of Evil. She returned just as the fighting was the most intense and even brought the kiddies and Bobby into the fray. Mallah tried to plow his way through, but, when he hit Bobby, it was like hitting a steel wall."

Edward broke out laughing, remembering how he, Raven and Bobby all handed the big ape his bananas.

"Did you fight Mallah?" Jericho asked.

"Sure did," Edward said, "Rae, Bobby and I fought him a few months ago. He wasn't a pushover, though. Intelligent and tough. I know Rae had a difficult time with him before, but, I saw Rae's protective side quite well."

"What happened when you beat him?" Jericho said.

"Let's just say I left him to chill out…at the South Pole for a while," Edward said with a chuckle.

Jericho said, "You've been hanging around BB too much!"

Cyborg chuckled, "Yeah, he has."

Edward playfully showed Cyborg his own sign language.

"Hey," Jericho protested, "No teaching the guys how to cuss."

"It's all good," Cyborg said, "The last time I annoyed Edward, I couldn't taste anything for a week."

"Oh?" Jericho asked, "What happened?"

"He humiliated Terra in an eating contest when we visited Kole," Edward replied, "So, I returned the favor. Cyborg's systems can process pretty much anything, except 'Fire in your Hole' wings and Starfire's cooking Tamaranian dishes…And Rae's first attempt at cooking…Hehehe!

"So, I challenged Cyborg to eat 10 of those wings. They are extremely spicy hot and he finished 4 of them. The fifth one got him downing the milk in a hurry. To be fair, though, I was close to doing that. He was stuck doing all the chores around the Tower for a week as a result."

Jericho looked like he was about to bust something trying to laugh unsuccessfully.

"That was part of the prank you played on BB last night?" Jericho asked.

"Sort of," Edward explained, "Beast Boy is a vegetarian so, I had Terra spike his tofu with Ghost Chili Extract."

"Serious burn!" Jericho said, "That stuff is used to keep elephants away from crops and in a fine mist, it's good for riot control."

Edward raised an eyebrow, "Could have used that a few weeks ago, then. Your father might still be alive, and, while he was a nasty fellow, I am still sorry that he's gone, for your sake. He hurt Terra badly, but, she got a measure of revenge."

"How?" Jericho said.

"She pelted him with rocks, breaking several bones," Edward answered, "One good sized rock hit him in the groin."

Both Cyborg and Jericho winced hearing that.

"Why did she hit Slade in the man berries?" Cyborg asked.

"Sorry, Victor," Edward said, "Sworn to secrecy on that one."

"Ahh," he said, "One of your private chats?"

"Yeah," Edward said. To Jericho he said, "My room doubles as an office where the team can come in and talk to me in confidence. It makes things easier to bear for them at times. Terra had a meltdown when she discovered your dad was alive and she spent several hours with me talking things through after that. Other than that, I can't say more."

"Is she OK now?" Jericho asked.

"For the most part," Edward said, "She has her moments, but, nothing to really worry about. Beast Boy really helps."

Jericho smiled hearing that.

**[4 PM]**

The team had scheduled a press conference to issue a statement regarding the events of earlier. Raven had woken up and spent time in meditation to calm the more frazzled emoticlones. She was as ready as possible for the press conference…which is to say she loathed the idea regardless.

As members of the press had their credentials verified by the Tower's AI, they were shown to their seats. TV and radio stations were setting up their microphones and newspaper reporters were getting ready as well.

The time for the press conference arrived and Edward took a look to see who was there. He saw the major national networks, of course, the local stations and was surprised to see "Daily Planet" there as well.

"Let's do this," Robin said, "After you, Arella." She had been named the spokesperson for the team.

"Don't be too nervous, Arella," Edward said, "Just introduce the team calmly, let Robin make his statement. The press will want to ask questions, so, just be cool about it."

"I'm all right," Arella said with a soft smile.

She stepped to the microphone.

"If I can get folks to take their seats, please," she said and waited for them to comply.

"My name is Arella Roth, and I've been appointed spokesperson for the Titans. They will be making a statement regarding the events of earlier today and taking questions afterwards.

"I would like to introduce Robin at this time. He is, as you know, the leader of the team. He will be followed by the team's second-in-command, Cyborg. Then, we will have Starfire, Beast Boy, Terra, Edward, and Raven to complete the lineup."

As she talked, the other members of the team came out. Arella stepped aside as Robin took the podium.

"Thank you for coming out to our island on such notice," he said, "Thank you for your patience as well.

"As you know, two members of the Titans were assisting the police with a high speed chase this morning. After that was brought to a peaceful conclusion, Edward Barnes and Raven saw two media helicopters involved in a mid-air collision.

"Edward attempted to save all four passengers, and was only able to save two. Raven attempted to save the other two and was, sadly, unsuccessful in the attempt.

"First, the Titans offer our sincerest condolences and sympathy to the families and friends of those lost.

"Second, Edward here is offering to pay the expenses for those who passed away today and to cover the medical expenses of the survivors.

"The Titans believe in preserving human life whenever possible, and the actions of our team mates underscores that belief fully.

"We will now take some questions, but, please introduce yourself and your affiliation before addressing your first question."

A slew of hands went skyward and Robin pointed to the first guy.

"Clark Kent, Daily Planet," he said, "I'd like to ask Edward the first question, if I may?"

Edward stepped up to the podium and said, "Go ahead, Mr. Kent."

"Why were you involved in a high speed chase?" Clark asked.

"I was en route to patrol a known gang hotspot in Jump City when I spotted the chase from the air," Edward replied.

"How did you spot it from the air?" Kent asked.

"It's common knowledge that I am a Dragon that can assume not just human form as you see here, but, other forms as well," Edward said, "It was in my mini-Dragon form when I saw the chase in progress."

"Did you or the police end the chase?" Clark asked.

"I contacted the Tower first and was informed that the police were already aware I was overhead. The suspects tried to shoot me out of the air with semi-automatic weapon fire. That failed due to my dragon scales. Then the police waited for me to make a move," Edward said.

"Then what?" Clark asked and sat down.

"I had to make a choice: Ice over the freeway to force the suspects to slide. I ruled that out as there were officers close to the vehicle. I also could have used the lightning breath to fry the vehicle's electronics and I opted against that one. I opted to use a pit maneuver on the vehicle to dive in a smaller dragon form and was able to strike the vehicle, forcing it to spin into the median. It flipped over and landed on its side. A nudge from me put the car back onto its wheels. We got the suspects into custody at that time."

Edward pointed to a local guy. "John Davis, KJMP News. Any speculation on what caused the two helicopters to crash?"

"Any speculation would be highly premature at this time, sir," Edward said, "I would rather wait and see what the NTSB says. I will probably be asked a bunch of questions in the course of their investigation."

He pointed to another person, "Jane Anderson, CNN. Do you know of the condition of the two survivors?"

"From what little the hospital has been willing to divulge, the pilot and cameraman are in serious but stable condition," Edward said.

He pointed towards one more person. "Jim Knight, FOXnews.

"This is for Raven," he continued. Edward moved slightly out of the way and Raven took his spot. He put an arm around her waist, a move that was noticed by the news corp there.

"Forgive the question," he said first, "Were the others still alive when you tried to rescue them?"

"No," she said, "I knew when Edward tried to grab their helicopter that they had died on impact. They felt nothing."

"You know this how?" the man asked.

"I'm an empath," she said, "I can feel stronger emotions and when one is close enough, I can feel when those emotions stop suddenly. They had a flash of panic, then, emptiness."

"Are you the only empath on the team?" he asked.

Edward stepped up, "I have empathic powers as well as telepathic powers. I can vouch for what my fiancée is saying."

It took a second for that to register and Edward chuckled, "Not often I can get the media to quiet down for a moment. Yes, I said fiancée. Raven accepted a proposal of marriage last night.

"One of the local reports had said that there was a rumor. Well, consider that rumor to be confirmed.

"Next question, please?" Edward prompted.

Clark stood up after getting a nod.

"Where will your wedding be?" he asked.

"At an undisclosed location, Mr. Kent," Edward replied, "I will state though, that it's an invitation only event that a friend has offered his space for as well as covering the expenses. Some members of the press will be invited, though. Raven and I will be going over invitees and dates shortly.

"Until then, I must firmly insist on privacy for the entire team regarding this other story and, I would respectfully advise members of the media to honor that.

"And, if some criminal element decides to try something stupid in the meanwhile. I want this on the record: Don't go there. While the team is capable of protecting themselves and each other as required, it would be dumb to pinpoint the members of this team who are engaged to be married. Those who try will certainly live to regret it."

"No quarrel here," Clark said.

Robin leaned over and whispered, "You might want to invite Clark. He's a mutual friend of the Titans and the Justice League, if you get my meaning."

Edward nodded subtly.

"We have time for one or two more questions," Arella said, "The team needs time to relax."

"Lois Lane, Daily Planet," a pretty brunette said.

"Go ahead, Miss Lane," Arella said.

"Actually, this one's for you," Lois asked, "The resemblance between you and Raven is striking. Are you related in some way?"

Arella smiled, "We are. Raven's my daughter."

"Do you have any powers?" Lois asked.

"None at all," Arella asked, "Raven and Edward rescued me a while back from what remains of where I came from. Trigon had made an effort to return to this world and was stopped by Edward."

The revelation caused a huge stir among the reporters!

"Ladies and gentleman," Edward said loudly, "Trigon is no longer a threat. I'll note without grief that Trigon is deceased."

Lois asked, "I thought that the Titans don't kill enemies."

"Miss Lane," Edward said coldly, "Would you rather I left Trigon alive to threaten the planet again? No, the Titans do not kill their human enemies. Trigon was not human. He was a demon who desired complete and total control of not just Earth, but, eventually, this universe. There is a saying of logic: The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

"That is all we have time for," Arella said, "You're welcome to email further questions to the team…titans and they will be routed to the proper person. Thank you for coming."

The team filed out as several questions were shouted out. Those were ignored.

* * *

_Dang...Long chapter, eh. I know that most people would call a 1,000 word chapter "long". But, there was a lot to cover here._

_Next chapter...Dinner with the Bat!  
_


	4. Dinner with the Bat!

**Chapter 4  
[The next day]**

Edward had taken the time to meditate for a little while with Raven to calm his frazzled mind before the big dinner with Bruce Wayne. He really needed that time to sit back, find his center and let his troubles escape into the peace that comes with successful meditation.

But, as the afternoon wore on, Edward had to find a suitable look and for that, he consulted Robin in his office.

"Got a few minutes, Robin?" he asked.

"Sure," Robin said, "What's up?"

"What should I wear to this dinner meeting with Bruce?" Edward asked.

"Well, if he didn't say it was formal, I would go casual to informal," Robin said, "Bruce isn't always a stick in the mud, only when he's in uniform is when he's very intimidating when he needs to be.

"I know he wants to get to know you and Raven. Go and enjoy yourselves!"

"He offered the use of Wayne Manor for our wedding and wants to absorb the cost for the wedding," Edward revealed.

Robin looked shocked, "He did? I'm surprised to hear that. Bruce doesn't host many parties there out of concern that someone might stumble into the Batcave."

"He is under the impression that there might be a large guest list. We've accepted that offer. Dick, I would want to ask you for a favor: be my best man here. Bruce said you're still family and always welcome there."

"I'll think about it," Dick said, "There's a lot of sore feelings there."

"He wants to set aside those differences," Edward said, "But, there's still lots of time to think about it."

Edward left a few minutes later to let Robin consider things.

He went over to Raven's room to see if she was ready and before he knocked, the door opened slightly.

"Ready?" he asked.

She reached out and grabbed him. She pulled him into the room and closed the door.

She was looking at several outfits and said, "Which one would you think is suitable?"

Edward's eyes adjusted and he noticed that Raven was not wearing much at all.

"Eyes somewhere else, mister," she jabbed playfully and picked up one of the items she was pondering.

"Too dark," Edward appraised, "We're not going to a funeral. This is a causal dinner if Robin's correct or maybe at most informal. I'd keep it conservative, though."

He looked at the lighter colors and held them up to Raven. The problem was her gray skin. It would make picking something out for her difficult.

But, he ended up suggesting her white and blue dress. That way, should she want to take her cloak, she could.

She shooed him out of the room and five minutes later, she opened the door. Edward nodded his approval and kissed her on the cheek.

"You like?" Raven said.

"Of course I do," Edward said, "This is a good dress for you. It represents your two favorite colors very well."

[Hey!] Happy piped up, [Pink's my favorite color, you know!]

"Now, Happy," Edward said, looking deep into Raven's eyes, "I know that quite well, but, this is an important event. One doesn't get an invite to Wayne Manor that often, so, Rae and I have to make a good impression."

Raven wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed happily.

"We need to go," Edward said. He altered his clothing to a casual looking two piece suit with matching tie.

"Nice!" Raven said, "You had not explained why you don't need real clothes that often. It's an effect you generate, right?"

"Correct," Edward said, "However, there are many times when I actually need real clothes. When that happens, I have an aura, similar to Superman, that allows the clothes to shapeshift with me. That's how I'm able to carry items I need. As I typically do not have a suit or tux, I had to make due."

"Well, if I'm wearing white at my wedding, you're wearing a for real tux," Raven said before kissing him.

That kiss turned into Raven's method of teleporting a moment later.

**[Wayne Manor – Gotham City]**

They emerged from the teleport and Edward was duly impressed. Just from the outside.

They were outside the gate and Edward hit the button.

A moment later, a gentleman's voice said, "Who's there?"

"Mr. Barnes and Ms. Roth to see Mr. Wayne," Edward said.

"Ah, Master Barnes," the guy said, "Master Bruce told me to expect you. Please come up." The gate opened and they went up to the front door.

The door was opened by an older gentleman wearing a smart suit.

"Please come in," he said, "I am Alfred, Master Bruce's butler."

"An honor, Alfred," Edward said, "I am Edward Barnes, and this is my fiancée, Rachel Roth."

"Master Bruce is waiting for you in the main living room," Alfred said, "May I take your coat, sir?"

"That would be difficult, it's actually part of me," Edward said.

"You may take my cloak, though," Raven said, removing it and handing it to the butler.

"Very good, Ms. Roth," Alfred replied.

"It's Raven, actually," she said.

Edward said via the link, [Let him call you Ms. Roth. Part of his training requires proper deference and respect. It's so ingrained by now, it will not be possible for him to be on a first name basis with us, at least not without some sort of honorific thrown in. I suspect that he is used to "Master Bruce" though. If memory serves, Alfred had to raise him after his parents were killed.]

[All right,] she replied.

Out loud, she said, "My apologies, Alfred. You can call me whatever you are comfortable with."

"Thank you, Ms. Roth," Alfred said, hanging up the cloak and leading the way.

"Master Bruce," he said, "Your dinner guests have arrived. Dinner shall be promptly at 6 PM."

"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce said.

He stood up and walked over to Edward and Raven. He extended his hand and Edward shook it.

He then shook hands with Raven as well and said, "Please, sit down."

After they did, Bruce said, "First, Edward, I want to apologize for putting you in harm's way with that Trigon business."

Edward replied, "Apology not needed, Bruce. I do accept that, though, but, it's not needed. I know the risks that come in the line of work we all do. I might not be a part of the Justice League, but, the Titans all know the risks involved. I consider the League to be valuable allies."

"Dick says that you've had a rough time adjusting to things since then," Bruce said, "I have several friends who have treated folks when they need a neutral ear. If you would like, I'll have one get in contact with you and cover any fees. Some are located in Jump City, so, you wouldn't miss out on too much Titan business."

Edward thought to himself, _Have I really gone that far around the bend that Robin is worried about my stability?_

[You have been acting really moody lately, my love,] Raven said, [Would it hurt to consider it?]

Edward said, "I'm outvoted, looks like. Raven's agreeing with you."

"You are telepathically linked?" Bruce asked.

"We've been linked since the first day I was on the Titans officially," Edward said.

"I had surmised that something existed. Dick's not come right out and mentioned it, but, I know when my ward is hiding something. I knew that you and Raven had combined powers to free Ms. Markov. That's probably what opened this telepathic link."

"I see why you are called the World's Greatest Detective," Edward said with a smile, "Freeing Terra was a risk. It still is, to some degree. Her own emotional and mental stability is shaky at times. She can be easily angered as well."

"That's related to issues in her past," Bruce said, "But, it's not my place to betray anything that may hurt your team. Mr. Logan is doing an admirable job of keeping Terra stable."

"Speaking of Beast Boy," Edward said, "I owe you a mea culpa as well. He was eavesdropping on our conversation. He knows of your alter ego as a result. I warned him that he best not say a word to anyone outside the Tower or I'd haul him over here to answer to the Batman.

"He was also disciplined for eavesdropping. Between Rae making him fly back to the Tower, the rest of the team pranked him bad. He's learned a lesson.

"That doesn't excuse his mistake, though, and, for that, I apologize."

Bruce listened to what was said and after a moment, he replied, "As long as he doesn't go blabbing that I'm Batman, I'll let this go as you've already handled the problem. But, if he says one word, I would ask that you keep your promise and haul him either here or to the WatchTower."

"Done," Raven said.

"How is life at your Tower?" Bruce asked, "I haven't really felt welcome to go there. Dick made it clear that he doesn't want to see me there in any official capacity."

"So, don't go as the Batman," Edward said, "Come over sometime as regular guy Bruce Wayne. The others will enjoy meeting you and if they have already put it together anyway, please don't hold that against them. You have figured that neither Rae or I will tell people. You have my word on this as of this moment.

"But, life there is relatively easy. The local bad guys are getting the hint that maybe Jump City isn't the best place to commit a crime. The gang bangers got the hint a few days after I joined the team, for example, and the super-villains aren't happy either.

"Several of them are in various jails after taking on the expanded Titans. Some are perfectly happy to stay in jail."

"Oh, I know what's been happening," Bruce said, "Dick updates the Titan database regularly and gives the League access to it. At least he's keeping his personal feelings apart from running his team.

"You've comported yourself well, Edward, in taking on some of the most serious threats.

"You've also let the others handle threats normally as a team. I'm sorry about Slade, though. He didn't have to be killed."

"I'm not, Bruce, save for his son's sake," Edward said, "A lot of Terra's leftover problems stem from him. Sure, he helped her initially with control over her earth moving powers, but, it's something that we would have done for her anyway. The sad part is he used her and her powers to trash Jump City.

"I was honored to have helped her, but, there are things that remind her too much of what happened before her petrification.

"She became very hysterical when she found out that he was still alive. It took Beast Boy and I to get her calmed down.

"She's a good kid, though, I think."

"What about you, Raven?" Bruce asked.

"Terra still can be extremely dangerous when provoked," she replied, "We were sparring one day and she got in a cheap shot. It almost escalated into a for-real fight if Edward and the others didn't intervene. It was accidental, but, try telling my emotions that.

"She was acting jealous, though. Possibly hurt. Then again, we actually fought before and defeated me."

"Latent hostilities?" Bruce wondered.

"Probably," Raven answered.

Bruce looked at the clock and said, "5:55. Time to head for the dining room."

They all stood and followed Bruce to the dining room where there were four places set out.

"Four settings?" Edward asked.

"That is for Master Tim," Alfred said as he approached with the first of what would be several dishes.

Sure enough, a kid of about 13 came in and came to a screeching halt seeing Edward and Raven there.

"Good evening, Tim," Bruce said, "These are new friends of mine. This is Edward and Raven."

"A pleasure," Edward said gently.

"Same here," Raven replied.

"You're the guys from Dick's team?" Tim asked quietly before taking his place at the table.

"We are," Edward replied.

"Neat!" Tim stated, "I've heard a little about Raven, but, what do you do?"

"Well, I can't show you much here, Tim," Edward replied, "But, I'm a dragon."

"No way!" Tim exclaimed, "I thought dragons are huge."

"Trust me," Raven said, "I've seen him at full size. He's huge all right."

Alfred brought out the rest of the meal and started serving folks. He had actually made a very large pot roast with mashed potatoes, beef gravy, corn and a salad. He brought out several dressings as he didn't know what Edward and Raven would prefer.

Edward took a deep breath and savored the aroma.

They waited until Alfred had served everyone. Bruce said a short prayer (Much to Edward's surprise) and they started to dig in. Edward put his napkin on his lap, as did everyone else.

The meal, as Robin predicted, was fantastic, even by Edward's standards.

When Alfred reappeared to top off drinks, Edward said, "This is simply fantastic, Alfred. I see why Master Dick was recommending it. I've had to cook for many a century and you've cracked into the top 10 cooks with a simple meal."

"Master Edward is too kind," Alfred said, "Thank you."

"Could I get the recipes?" Edward asked, "I'm usually the cook for the Titans and they'd love this."

"I will make sure you get copies before you leave, then," Alfred said.

Well, they finished the meal without incident and enjoyed Baked Alaska for dessert.

As they retired to the living room again, Edward noticed a spotlight from the downtown area and it looked like a bat!

"Bruce," Edward said, "I think you're needed."

He looked out the window and said, "Batman is needed. You're welcome to join him. Tim's still in training and can't go."

"We'll meet Batman there," Edward said, "Come on, dear, we've got work to do."

Raven grabbed her cloak and when she put it on, she actually assumed her normal form. The dress disappeared and was replaced with her violet leotard.

They ran outside and Edward morphed to Dragon and lifted into the air, followed by Raven, who was flying beside him.

A few moments later, Edward's hearing detected the whine of a jet engine and saw the Batmobile tearing a path across the roads heading toward the Batsignal.

It didn't take long to get to the source of the signal and as Edward and Raven landed, Batman was arriving as well.

An older man was there along with several other officers.

"Jim," Batman said, "This is Edward Barnes and his fiancée, Raven. Folks, this is James Gordon, the police commissioner."

"A pleasure," Jim said, "Forgive me, but, we have a situation. Clayface has escaped from prison and has launched a crime spree."

"Where at?" Batman asked.

"Five miles west of here," Gordon replied.

"Interesting," Edward said, "We're on it."

Edward turned to see Batman already gone. Raven was already airborne and Edward joined her.

It only took a few minutes to get there and Edward saw the problem.

"What the heck?" he said, "Looks like a living lump of clay!"

Raven and Edward landed as Clayface turned towards the threat.

"The Bat brings in a dragon and a goth girl?" he said.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Edward said, lighting his ridges up.

Clayface tried to attack and struck Edward in the side. The result was a huge splash of liquid clay instead.

"Bleah!" he said and used his ice breath to try to freeze Clayface. That was a limited effect, though.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven said and tried to contain the mass of clay with her powers. She was temporarily able to restrain the mass and was starting to visibly struggle to hold the guy.

Batman arrived then and under the mask, he raised an eyebrow. He reached into his utility belt and retrieved a bat-a-rang and threw it into the dark energy.

The device sank into the clay and Batman said, "Drop the energy, Raven." She did and the second she did, Clayface grimaced in pain as the bat-a-rang sent a powerful shock through the mass.

He staggered from the voltage and that gave Edward the idea to up the amperage and fired off a short burst of higher powered lightning.

That caused Clayface's form to ripple and bubble before Edward cut the lightning. He wanted to respect the "no kill" rule of the Titans.

Clayface moaned and tried a desperation move by grabbing Raven.

"You don't dare use those breath weapons now," Clayface said, "You don't want to hurt her and if you make a move, I'll drown her in clay."

"Excuse me for a moment," Edward said with a grin.

He teleported back to the Tower and got the one girl who could neutralize Clayface: Terra.

He was back a moment later and said, "Clayface, this is Terra. You have a choice. Release Raven on your own, or I let Terra release my fiancée and it will not be painless. She's a geomancer and as you are made of the earth, she will force you."

"I'll give you a moment to decide," Terra said, "I've been wanting to let loose for a while."

Clayface moved to cover Raven's head.

"Wrong choice," Terra said and her hands started glowing yellow. Batman readied another Bat-a-rang and Edward's ridges went red.

Terra's hands moved and Clayface yelled, "What? Stop it!" His body was no longer moving on its own as Terra started to rip Clayface apart.

"Can he be taken apart without killing him?" Edward asked.

"Yes," Batman said, "if we keep the pieces in containers, he can't reform."

Within a few moments, Terra had pulled Clayface into about 10 liquid clay pieces, freeing Raven.

"Yuck!" she groused, then, grabbed several garbage cans and lined them up.

"Thanks, Raven!" Terra said and dumped the chunks of Clayface into them. Raven put the lids on as Terra held Clayface at bay.

"All yours, Edward," Terra said.

His ridges went from red to white and a stream of icy breath spewed forth, freezing Clayface to the point he was immobile.

"All yours," Edward said.

Edward was prepared to use his extremely hot flame to turn Clayface to stone, but, he didn't need to worry about that at all. Terra had done what Edward would have had a hard time doing without hurting Raven.

He could have used Jericho as well. But, he wasn't sure if Jericho could have used his powers. Terra was perfect for the job.

"Batman, this is Terra. Terra, this is Batman," Raven introduced.

"What's shaking, Batman?" Terra said, getting a fist bump from the Bat.

He merely glared at Terra, but, Edward detected the faintest hint of a approving smile.

"Can we go home now? I need a shower in…" Raven started to say only to see Terra remove the bits of clay and mud from her.

"Uhh, thanks," Raven said.

"No sweat, Raven," Terra said.

"Good job," Batman said, "That was the fastest Clayface was taken down."

Terra blushed at the compliment.

"Bet he won't want to tangle with Terra anytime soon," Edward said, "He's made of the stuff Terra doesn't even break a sweat over."

Terra laughed at that one.

"I'll take you two home," Edward said, "I need to talk to Batman privately for a bit. Superhero stuff."

[Don't tell Terra who Batman is, not till I get the OK, please,] he added to Raven.

[All right,] Raven said, [Thanks again for the rescue.]

[This one's Terra's, actually,] Edward said, [She needed a morale boost…and I had to see if she'd help rescue you with no prompting.]

[She did fine, dear. Let it go,] Raven advised.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, Batman. Meet at the usual place?" Edward said.

"Agreed," Batman replied and he was off. The police had already loaded in the semi-frozen Clayface into the wagons and were taking him to jail.

Raven and Terra got onto Edward's back and he was in the air a few moments later, then, teleporting back to the Tower.

"Tell Robin I'll be back ASAP," Edward said and teleported back to Wayne Manor.

He saw the Batmobile heading for the Manor and pondered landing on the vehicle, then, opted to be a nice guy and go in the right way.

He landed and after morphing back, rang the doorbell once more.

Alfred, of course, answered the bell and said, "Master Edward, come on in. Master Bruce should be up momentarily. I took the liberty of printing out those recipes you asked for." He handed the cards over and Edward stuck them into a pocket.

"Thank you, Alfred," Edward said, "I will send you several of my favorite dishes as well. Master Richard is fond of my spaghetti sauce, for example."

"He's always liked pasta," Alfred said, "Especially once he became Robin, he needed the extra carbs."

"Preaching to the choir, Alfred," Edward said, "The entire team loves to carbo pack. You should see Cyborg. He's an eating machine to the point it gets him into trouble. He's only lost one eating challenge and that was to yours truly."

"Master Richard tells me that he has a girlfriend now?" Alfred said.

"He does," Edward said, "He's dating a gal named Starfire. She's an interesting young woman. What has he told you about her? Hopefully everything."

"He has, Master Edward," Alfred replied, "Sometimes, he confides in me more than Master Bruce."

"Not really surprised there," Edward said, "I know that Master Bruce was Richard's ward for many years, but, with his other identity, it probably was more of your duty to help raise him.

"Both of you did a fine job. I would be hard pressed to do that. Oh, don't get me wrong, I've raised or helped to raise kids in my life, but, it's been a while and, well, I'm sort of old fashioned."

"Don't sell yourself short, Edward," Bruce replied, "you've got five teenagers now to raise for a short time."

"My biggest problem in that area is Beast Boy," Edward sighed, "He's a great kid, eager to learn at times. But, in many areas, he's still a kid. He annoys the heck out of Rae at times, gotten into trouble with Starfire, and a few things that should have gotten him kicked off the team.

"But, Robin tends to forgive him most of the time. But, the poor shapeshifter was told off last night and is on the verge of being suspended for a while."

"I need to stress the importance of my other identity being kept under wraps," Bruce replied, "Or, I need you to stress to him that importance. I don't mind the Titans knowing that the Batman and Bruce Wayne are one and the same, but, it needs to go no further."

"Oh, he knows," Edward said, "We had a long talk this morning about the importance of your secret identity. He got the hint really quick when I mentioned being roomies with the Joker."

"That should work, then," Bruce said.

"Oh, before you leave," Bruce added, "Dick said that there is a cash flow problem. I'm going to cut the Titans a check to cover the expenses. He didn't want to bother you with it."

"He needs to, sir," Edward said, "I've got a substantial nest egg of my own. Helping the Titans financially is not going to hurt me, either.

"That reminds me. I was greatly remiss for not thanking you personally for buying out my old lease. I even offered to Robin to repay your kindness."

Bruce waved it off, "You already have repaid that, many times over. Helping to keep the Titans safe is all that I ask. I do worry about Richard at times and you being there to cover the major threats helps relieve my worries and Alfred's as well. Your help tonight saved Batman a long night. Clayface isn't that easy to take down."

"How about a financial partnership, Bruce?" Edward proposed, "We'll split the costs of running the Titans equally. Dick still runs the team as he always has, we basically become silent partners to keep the lights on and other bills paid."

Bruce gave it some thought for several long moments and finally nodded his head, "That'll work. I'll have my lawyers draw up the necessary paperwork and have those delivered to the Tower this week."

"Hopefully, Dick will realize that this will benefit the team," Edward said.

"I'm sure he will," Bruce replied with a grin.

"Well, I know my old landlord must have been stunned getting a check from you," Edward said with a chuckle.

"Let's just say he sent me your old lease, torn in half," Bruce said. He walked Edward to his study and reached into his desk, handing Edward the two halves of the bought out lease.

Edward looked at the pages and sighed. He was glad that the man accepted the generous payment. He had quoted Wayne Enterprises the amount needed for Edward to break the lease and happily cashed a check for double the amount.

"Seeing that you and Raven got engaged," Bruce said, "I was wondering something, if you don't mind. Don't you feel like you're robbing the cradle?"

"Bruce," Edward said, "I could be attracted to someone in her 50s and that wouldn't change that particular feeling. Not when one is 3,000 or so years old and God knows how many to go. You'll never really know what it's like to not have someone to really share the rest of your days when the other person will age and die someday while you stay young."

Bruce hit a few keys on his desktop and said, "Let me show you something then that might cheer you up in that area."

Edward walked around and saw Raven on the screen.

Bruce said, "Robin sent the Justice League a dossier on all his team members and I did some detective work after that.

"Rachel, because she's still part owner of Trigon's DNA, will have a longer life than most of us. She'll still die someday, but, if she is able to stay alive, Trigon's DNA will give her another 150 or more years. I would not be surprised to see her get another 150 to 200 years, especially as the years progress and technology improves."

Edward smiled happily at that news.

"That's awesome!" Edward said.

"Would you like to see what we have on you?" Bruce asked.

"Sure," Edward said.

"Type your name into the query box," Bruce instructed. Edward did and a moment later, his picture came up and a rather long briefing.

Edward sat there reading for several long minutes and finally said, "You've done your homework, that's for sure. This is 95% accurate."

"What have we missed?" Bruce asked.

"Not much," Edward said, "You don't have that I speak Tamaranian now. Starfire loves that I've taken the time to learn her native language. And, of course, it's not updated to reflect my engagement to Rae.

"And, you missed my time teleport and a new ability. I can teleport through dimensions, but, that drains me badly."

Edward put those into the file himself as a favor.

"How many languages do you speak?" Bruce asked.

"Well, think about it," Edward said, "I'm over 3,000 years old, so, I know quite a few, some of which are extinct. I'm fluent in English from early Anglo-Saxon, through the Germanic influences into early English, then, middle English into today's English. Also, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Hebrew, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Danish, Irish, Hindu, various Native American languages, Arabic, Aramaic, Latin, Sanskrit, Swahili, Tamaranian and for the most part the earlier dialogues of those languages. I also read the written version of those languages, past and present. And, that doesn't include the extinct ones.

"No, I don't know every single language on the planet. I'm happy with the list I gave you."

Bruce whistled, "Why didn't we get you into the Justice League before?"

"I was keeping a low profile," Edward said, "That's why. Not to worry, though, should the League need my help with something, just give me a call. But, I'm happier with the Titans right now."

"The Titans aren't exactly low profile, though," Bruce pointed out.

"Can I help it a couple of punks robbed a bank in front of me and I assisted the Titans in taking them down?" Edward said, "I couldn't have ignored the problem anymore than you could.

"Also, bringing Terra back was a major plus. Her petrification really hurt the team emotionally. They had grown attached to her and, well, Beast Boy fell in love at first sight. When she switched sides, from what I heard, he was crushed. His joking actually became worse as a result."

"I figured he uses jokes to cope with what he's been through," Bruce mused, "At least that's a way to deal with things."

"Since she returned, he doesn't tell as many jokes. I think he realizes that he needs to be more serious," Edward said, "But, he still tells them since Terra enjoys them. He's pretty much given up trying to get Rae to smile at a corny joke. Then again, she does have a sense of humor. I've gotten her to actually laugh several times."

"Does Raven enjoy this protective streak of yours?" Bruce asked.

"She does," Edward explained, "I let her fight her own battles as much as possible. It's when she's outmatched and outgunned when I step in. Oh, trust me, if we did not have Terra available, Clayface might be changing his name to Statue. I was ready to fire him up.

"My problem, though, is that I got used to handling problems on my own. It's difficult for this old Dragon to think as part of a team. Robin's been very kind and letting me do my own thing a lot. But, he had to ask Rae to remind me that the others might want to help out."

"I saw the red glow," Bruce said, "According to the file, that's a voluntary effect, correct?"

"Right," Edward said, "I use that to either intimidate or when I'm asked to show-off a bit. But, that gives up the element of surprise, so, I learned to keep that effect turned off if necessary. The brighter the glow, the more intense the weapon is. The drawback is that if it's extremely bright, I have to discharge the energy. Like, tonight, the effect was borderline between being able to switch from the fire to ice and having to expel a plume of flame first."

"When did you get that effect?" Bruce asked.

"By accident," Edward said, "When I lived in ancient Greece, one of my jobs was that of a healer. Well, one afternoon, the villagers brought in a couple of strangers suffering from radiation sickness. I didn't know what that was at the time, but, the rocks they had picked up were quite warm to the touch. At least until I held them. My body absorbed the radiation and caused that mutation. After that the rocks were no longer radioactive and were cold.

"That was well before the Popes and other idiots preyed on the people's fears. So, at that time, I was able, at least around the village and a few other places in Ancient Greece, to show folks what I am.

"But, after that, I knew it was best to go to ground before folks decided to try to kill me as a witch or worse. Stoning would not have been fun."

"I'm surprised that you didn't mutate more than that," Bruce said.

"Well, I do try to limit my exposure to higher amounts of radiation," Edward said, "I don't know if too high of exposure would mutate me due to my immortality, give me a very dangerous breath weapon like those Japanese monster movies, or rob me of the immortality or something just as bad for me."

"So, what happened to cause you to hide?" Bruce asked.

"A combination of things, actually," Edward replied, "The first was actually voluntary. I had grown tired of being in Greece. I had lost a dear friend when the child we were raising was crushed by a falling tree. She went insane with the grief and left. After that, I was involved in several major campaigns and that soured me on war for a long time.

"The other was more self-preservation. The various religious leaders, including several popes were making peoples' fear worse of the supernatural or an intolerance of people who were different.

"And being immortal, well, that would be different enough. My strength, while not even close to Superman would be another reason. We can't forget the fact that I shape-shift."

"I see," Bruce said, "And how many women have you been with? Probably a lot over the centuries."

"Actually, no," Edward said, to Bruce's surprise, "There was the one in ancient Greece. Then, in the mid-18th Century, I fell in love and eventually married a reptilian shapeshifter. She passed on in 1811, though. I still miss her greatly, though."

"That was it before Raven?" Bruce asked.

"Fraid so," Edward said, "Oh, I was tempted many times, but, in the Middle Ages, how could I explain to people why I don't really age or why if I'm wounded, I heal quickly? It wasn't possible, so, I sacrificed."

"What changed in the 18th Century, though?"

**[A/N: The characters "Paula" and "Dave Dubois" were created by my writing partner DJ Dubois and are used by permission. He had written a story in his "Dubois Chronicles" that included Batman, Joker and Scarecrow. PM me for the link.]**

"My wife was somehow exiled from modern times to 1749. We met a year later, when some slaves had run away and they were being escorted by her. I stumbled on them and offered my assistance. Well, I got them to my new cabin and after offloading some items there, took them to my other friends' cabin.

"The bounty hunters, as it turned out, were only a few hours behind them. The hunters arrived and demanded not only the slaves, but their companion for being a witch.

"A fight broke out and even though there were six hunters, they tried beating my friend first. That turned out to be a mistake as he had a second persona that surfaced and proceeded to kick their rumps."

"Impressive," Bruce said, "I've heard of someone like that. He used to live in Massachusetts as a child, then, relocated to Tucson as an adult.

"What was his name, though?"

"Dave Dubois," Edward said, "I know. He and his family were likewise tossed back in time. I had to wait till they were born as history said they were, then, without them knowing my ties, I kept him from getting into too many fights in his formative years under an assumed name. I had friends in a not-so-legal profession provide me with some fake documents so I could help him without a risk of his remembering me at a later date. When I was done with that project, I destroyed the documents."

Bruce didn't let on, but, he knew the man in question, albeit indirectly. His then fiancée was in Gotham several years earlier and there was an incident at the Gotham Hilton. Scarecrow and the Joker had attacked in order to steal the valuables, of course.

The Batman didn't even have time to get there to handle the situation. Both Scarecrow and Joker were babbling about some sort of angry creature attacking them. They said he had a dark aura about him and glowing red eyes.

The damage to the rooms was extensive and the hotel was considering pressing some serious charges. However, Bruce stepped in with the greatest of silencing agents: money to cover the damage.

Bruce pulled out a videotape and put it into the player.

"Would this happen to be the same guy?" Bruce asked.

Edward studied the tape and after a few moments, he nodded, "That's the Professor all right. It's from a few years after his alter-ego made his presence known.

"This is his Destroyer form. This form only emerged when there was a dire threat to Dave or his loved ones. We fought side to side several times as I knew why he fought. It took a while, but, we developed a level of trust.

"Sadly, we are beyond the time when he disappeared into the 18th Century.

"I followed the career of my beloved Paula as well until she disappeared. No, I didn't interfere with that. She would not have known me and I couldn't bear to get close and tell her what was to be."

Bruce fell silent for a moment, then, pulled the tape out of the machine and handed it to Edward.

"Keep it," he said, "I have no further use for it. You cleared up a mystery for me here."

Bruce and Edward talked for another 30 minutes and part of that was finding out what caused the split between the former Dynamic Duo.

Finally, though, Edward took his leave and was assured that the Titans were welcome at the Manor whenever they wanted to visit.

They shook hands as Bruce walked Edward to the exit.

"I'll try to get Dick to visit, Bruce," Edward said, "It might be at the wedding, if he accepts my request to be my Best Man. If not, I will ask Cyborg or Beast Boy.

"Let the rest of the League know to expect invitations as well. It would be one of the few times that the League and the Titans can mingle, I think."

"Yeah, there was an incident between the two groups," Bruce said, "I'm not at liberty to discuss it, though."

"Understandable," Edward said with a smile, "I do have to get back to Jump, though. Next time you're at the Wayne Enterprises building there, please stop in to visit or let me know and I'll make time to visit."

"Richard's made it clear that I should not go to the Tower," Bruce said.

"Leave him to me," Edward said, "I'm neutral in your dispute, so, I can listen without the problem of prejudice. I've got a decent idea what happened and the advice I have for you is simple: Don't make the same mistakes you may have made with Tim. He's a good kid, eager to learn, as you pointed out. I would be honored to help with his training if needed. I know you've got state of the art equipment, but, he will need to know how to deal with enemies. With my shapeshifting abilities, that won't be a problem."

"I'll have to consider that, Edward," Bruce said, "I'll be in contact with the Titans soon. When you and Raven decide on a date for the wedding, please call here and let Alfred know. I already made him aware that your wedding will be here at the Manor."

"Thanks, Bruce," Edward replied.

"We'll talk soon," Bruce said with a stifled yawn.

"See you soon," Edward said, "Please thank Alfred for a great meal for Rae and I."

"Will do," Bruce said and gently closed the opened door.

Edward went back to his mini-dragon form and after circling the Manor, teleported back home to the Tower.

* * *

_One more chapter in this one. Hope you like this so far :)_


	5. Conclusion

**Chapter 5  
[Next day – Robin's Office]**

Edward had slept the best he had in several weeks after returning home. Beast Boy had done an overnight patrol while the others slept and reported nothing of note. Robin had allowed him to grab a few hours of sleep, however, it was also a training session day, so, BB couldn't get out of that easily.

Robin had also discussed it with the rest of the team while they were gone and everyone decided that should the newly engaged couple want to share rooms, that it would be OK.

He waited till breakfast to tell Edward and Raven that bit of news. He was also curious about the dinner with Bruce and especially why Terra was suddenly called away to help.

So, he asked Edward and Raven to meet him in the office soon as the breakfast was over.

"I have some news that will interest you," Robin said with a smile, "While you were in Gotham, the rest of the team talked it over and, well, if you two want to share a room, you're welcome to do that or stay with the status quo for now."

Edward and Raven raised an eyebrow each hearing that.

[What do you think, Rae?] Edward asked.

[I know that you'd be a gentleman regardless,] she replied, [I'd like that.]

"Awesome," Edward replied with a grin, "Rae and I will talk it over later and see who moves. But, I'd like to keep my quarters as an office in case I move in with Rae. I want to respect her need for private space, yet, still be available when another team mate wants to talk."

"That's not a problem at all," Robin said.

"Also, while you were gone, Jericho asked if he could stay here," Robin said, moving on to another important matter.

"Joe's a good kid and that ability of his is rather interesting and useful to the team," Edward said, "A minor drawback: The rest of the team would have to learn sign language. Cyborg can learn it easiest with a download. You, BB, Star and Rae would have to learn. If Arella or I aren't here to relay, valuable time is lost.

"Bottom line: I vote to admit him to full membership."

"Agreed," Raven said, "I would enjoy having him on the team."

Robin beamed hearing that, "You made the vote 7-0, then. I only vote to break the rare tie."

Robin called Jericho into the office. As he already had a communicator, Robin punched a few buttons on his computer terminal that upgraded Jericho's communicator to member status. It would also serve as his "key" to get into the Tower when no one else was there. The AI would recognize Jericho as authorized personnel and not react. Typically, if there was an unauthorized access to the Tower or the AI itself, the AI would respond in ways that the intruder(s) would not like.

"Good news," Robin said, "I talked it over with the other Titans and well, I have something to tell you."

He extended his hand and said, "Congrats, you've been promoted from honorary status to full member of the Team. We'll have your room ready later today.

"Also, we'll have to set aside time to learn sign language. Edward raised a good point about the rest of the team knowing what you're saying in case he or Arella aren't available."

Jericho smiled and signed, "Thank you! I'll be happy to help teach the others sign language."

After Edward relayed that, Robin said, "That would be wonderful! Get together with Edward and Arella to set up some time for lessons."

Jericho signed, "OK."

He left after Robin explained about the new functions of his communicator.

They ended up talking about how well the pranks on Beast Boy worked and that Raven was about to really collapse from laughing so hard.

[At least I can get a laugh out of you a lot more often,] Edward said.

[You typically don't prank people that often and when you do tell an intentional joke, it's funny,] Raven said, [Sometimes it's the unintended puns that gets me wondering if you hang out with Beast Boy too much.]

[True,] Edward agreed, [I could hear you busting a gut through the link when you got him with that stankball from hell.]

[I'm glad my powers knocked down most of that smell, dear,] Raven said, [Whatever that liquid is has a serious stink to it. I think Beast Boy had to toss that uniform after he tossed his cookies.]

[Hehehe,] Edward said, [I'd been waiting for the perfect time to use that and it comes in useful in punishing someone as well.]

[And, the ghost chili extract in the tofu was priceless!] Raven said, [Did you give him soymilk or real milk?]

Edward replied, [I had to take some mercy on Beast Boy. Soymilk doesn't have the ability to cool down spicy stuff. He drank whole milk. It's the best thing for something like that. He'll eat real cheese on pizza, so, he's not a true vegan. I give him vegan meals as most of the time, that's where he leans anyway. He wasn't happy about the whole milk and I'll explain why soon.]

[Speaking of mercy, dear,] Raven said, [You going to let that captain out of the stockade?]

[Of course! I'm going to call the man's CO shortly and let him know that the charges are dropped. He's sat there long enough,] Edward said.

In fact, even though it was a mere 48 hours after the altercation, Edward was inclined to give the captain the benefit of the doubt here.

He pulled the number to the military base from the Tower AI and called the man's commanding officer.

"Camp Lincoln, Colonel Smith here," he heard.

"Greetings, Col. Smith. This is Edward Barnes here," Edward said, "How are you today, sir?"

"I'm fine, General," Smith said, "And you?"

"Fine for a guy who just got engaged," Edward said.

"Really?" Smith said, "Congrats, sir. Who is the lucky gal?"

"Raven," Edward said.

"That gothic looking gal on the Titans?" Smith asked.

"One and the same. However, as much as I would like to engage in small talk, I had a captain under your command arrested for insubordination and conduct unbecoming an officer. I would like to drop the charges at this time. His little girl is having a birthday and, well, I just don't have the heart to ruin her birthday," Edward requested.

"Well," Smith said, "This is an unusual request. I can see dropping the insubordination, but, the report you sent does warrant an Article 32 hearing on the conduct unbecoming an officer at the least. Regulations do allow me to handle this incident before it gets to the Article 32 hearing, though, and whatever you recommend as punishment will be considered."

Edward sighed, "That will work, however, I am ordering his release from the stockade so he can attend his daughter's birthday. I'm also ordering him to call me prior to 0900 tomorrow morning and we can discuss it. Right now, I'm inclined to recommend a formal written reprimand be placed into his jacket. If he answers my questions to my satisfaction, I will formally recommend this as his punishment for your consideration."

"I would agree to a written reprimand as well, sir," Smith said, "He's a good man generally and, well, we do need his services on base. He's made a mistake and I would hope that he learns from it."

"That's why he's to call me by 0900 here at the Titan Tower. If by some chance he calls and we've been called away on a mission, he's to be made available on a moment's notice," Edward said.

"I heard he tried to take a swing at you, sir?" Smith asked.

"I'm not pressing those charges, sir," Edward explained, "I do understand that this is a very serious offense. He's got my fiancée to thank for that as his punch was blocked by her powers. Had he actually struck me, I would be pressing that particular charge. However, please respect my decision here. No assaulting a superior officer charge is to be brought resulting from this incident. I will reserve that right, though, if I were to hear he tries that again with someone else."

"May I speak frankly, sir?" Smith asked.

"Please," Edward said.

"Assaulting a superior officer is something that should not be tolerated, ever," Smith said, "Begging the General's pardon, that would undermine military discipline badly. I would ask you to reconsider."

"That's why I am reserving that right until such time as the statute of limitations expires," Edward said, "If this is an isolated incident, I would rather not press formal charges. If he tries to attack a superior again, then, I will bring charges up. However, I will not undermine you, either. He's under your command and should you opt to discipline him for that, it's your right to do so. But, I would prefer to keep my promise to his wife and by extension, his daughter to have him home for that day."

"Agreed, sir," Smith replied, "I'll have him released immediately. He should be home by 1700. Anything else?"

"No, Colonel," Edward said, "Thank you for your time. And, next time you wish to speak freely…no need to ask permission."

"Thank you, sir," he said, "Take care."

They hung up and just in time as another call was routed through. It was the guy's wife.

"Titan Tower," Edward said, "Edward here."

A woman's voice said, "Is this General Barnes?"

"Yes, ma'am, it is," he said, "How may I help you?"

"This is Susan, the woman from the other day," she said.

"Ah, I was just about to call you," he said, "I literally just got off the phone with your husband's commanding officer. He will be released shortly and should be able to be picked up by you by 5 PM. Please make sure he calls me by 9 AM, though. It's important that he does that."

"Thank you!" she said, "Janey has been worried that her daddy will not be home for her birthday."

"She doesn't have to worry anymore about that," Edward said, "Depending on the outcome of our chat tomorrow will determine on the punishment he gets. I am inclined to recommend a written reprimand be placed into his service jacket and so is his CO. The thing is that such a reprimand would derail his career. If he's learned his lesson, I will further ask that the reprimand sunset after a couple of years and thus automatically removed from his jacket. But, this stays between us."

"I understand," she replied, "My daughter is excited to see the Tower, though. She really wants to come over there."

"I don't see a problem with that," Edward said, "Bring her over at 2 PM on her birthday and I'll give her the grand tour. She'll be able to meet the others as well."

"Can she bring some friends over?" Susan asked.

"I'll have to check with Robin on that one," Edward said, "We can't make the Tower available to every kid who has a birthday. I can talk him into an exception in this case to bolster relations between the Titans and the Military in the long term view. The short term view is that I want your daughter to have the best birthday ever and that's more of a personal thing."

"I do appreciate this," she said. She hung up a moment later and after that Edward headed back to Robin's office.

"Hey, Richard?" Edward asked.

"What's up?" he said.

"Would you object to having a few kids over here next week? I promised a kid's mom a couple days ago that her daughter could visit as a birthday present? I had to have her dad put into the stockade for being an idiot and the mom was worried that her daughter's special day would be ruined. She just asked if she could bring a few friends over," Edward explained.

Robin thought for a moment and said, "All right, but, don't make a habit out of this as the Tower is not a day care center nor geared for constant birthday parties. Once in a while is all right, but, you have to tell me in advance. You've developed a habit, Edward, of running your own program and while I totally understand and respect that given your age and experience, to be honest, I'm starting to feel undermined here and it's not a good feeling."

Edward blushed, "My apologies, Robin. I'll be more mindful of that in the future."

"The guys like you, man," Robin said, "And, let's face it…Raven's completely in love with you. I was worried for a while as she is like a sister to me and after that one incident, I knew she was badly hurt. You've turned that around.

"I'll be honest. A couple of the guys were frightened of you, but, I get the feeling that those days are behind us. The two biggest threats to Raven have been handled for good, so, barring any major threat to the team, I can see you starting to get back into the swing of things. Bruce gave me a long email this morning and he was impressed with the meeting last night. Do you know how hard it is to impress the guy?"

"Pretty difficult," Edward said, "I'm glad that I had a chance to meet him and work alongside him."

"Batman is hard on his sidekicks, sadly," Robin said, rubbing his nose, "You were lucky that he allowed you to help. Tim's needing a lot more seasoning before he'll be allowed to be the new Robin. It also means that there will be a day when I will need to retire the Robin character and take on a new mantle. It's something I've been thinking about anyway."

"Listen to your heart, Richard," Edward said sagely, "The team will stand with you regardless of what you decide. Tim's a good kid from what I've seen. He'll do fine."

"I know," Robin said, "I really don't want to pass on the mantle, but, I will regardless of what I personally feel. You don't know this, but, a few years back, Starfire was sent into the future almost 20 years and what she described was not good."

"Well," Edward replied, "I wouldn't worry too much about that, then, because had she remained in the future, that would have been a future assured. As she was recovered from that timeline, I can tell you that particular timeline's been averted."

"One thing," Robin continued on, "Is that I would become Nightwing and, since then, I've been giving it some thought. Let me show you something."

He went to his closet and from the back, pulled out a different costume. It was mostly black with a feather pattern in medium blue down the chest. He also pulled out a different mask.

"You've done more than think about it," Edward stated, "You're wondering when you should pull the trigger on a character change, right?"

"Can't put anything past you, eh?" Robin retorted with a grin, "Yeah, I'm ready to make that shift. I wonder how the rest of the team will handle it."

"This is your life, Richard," Edward said, "The rest of the team will adjust to calling you Nightwing or whatever you decide to use. You already know, deep down, that you've got my support. I won't speak for Rae or the others, though."

"Thanks for that," Robin said, "It doesn't solve the problem of timing, though."

"Easy enough," Edward replied, "Bruce would let you know when Tim's ready for his first mission and you announce via a press conference that you are retiring the Robin character and replacing it with the new one because you felt it was time to pass the mantle on to Tim."

"True," Robin replied, "Tim's going to be 14 next year and that was when Bruce allowed me to be Robin."

Edward nodded, "If Tim is anywhere near as smart as you, I don't see a problem with his being Robin at that time. I offered to help train Tim in my spare time. That's up to Bruce, obviously."

"I won't stand in your way if Bruce thinks it's best to have you help out, just make sure that Bruce knows that your duties with the Titans comes first."

"He knows," Edward said, "I don't mind helping the Justice League with some matters, but, the Titans are what's important to me. The League is full of more experienced folks, but, that doesn't detract from the Titans. Like I told Terra a long time ago. You're the glue that holds the team together. You might not like to admit this, but, Bruce trained you quite well and you share his experience with the rest of the team. Sure, I'm 3,000 years old and have that experience to lean on. But, can I impart all that into you guys in your lifetime? Nope. Even Raven who might live to be 200 due to Trigon's DNA running through her veins cannot get ALL that experience. Doesn't mean I'd refrain from sharing it, though."

Robin smiled at that.

They stepped out of the office a moment later. Edward was content for the time being. So was Robin, in his own way.

Edward's thoughts moved towards the future as well. He was happily engaged to a wonderful young woman and, given time, the other two couples in the tower would be engaged pretty soon. With the three couples getting a date night every couple of weeks as well, morale was high.

Edward was still bothered with the events of the recent past, but, he was coping.

**Conclusion  
[A week later]**

The birthday party for little Janey went off without too many problems, luckily. The kids all enjoyed the tour of the Tower and asked a ton of questions. Raven made a very rare exception and allowed them to take a quick look into her room. Edward was pleased with that decision. The kids were in awe of the statues and other mystical items she kept there.

They loved Starfire as well. They thought it was awesome that she was able to fly and she even threw a few Starbolts into the bay, much to the kids delight. But, when Terra opened up with her powers, that quickly became target practice which the youngsters enjoyed.

They loved seeing Beast Boy and Edward showing off their abilities as well. But, that didn't compare to how they reacted to Cyborg. They were very interested in his robotic parts as well. The sonic cannon was well received by the group.

Janey's dad had indeed followed orders and talked to Edward following his release and while Edward wasn't totally happy with the responses opted to recommend that the man be handed a written reprimand that would expire five years after issuance with the proviso that should he leave the service during that time, it would remain in his file in an inactive status until such time as he either reactivated his commission to serve the rest of the life of the reprimand, or, it be withdrawn by approval of the President.

He did attend the tour, though, and Raven sensed that he was pleased to make it to his daughter's party. She pulled him aside and gave him the same statement she gave Trigon (save the "not welcome here" part) about fathers being kind, protective and raising their kids in love.

Hearing Raven acting as a mirror got his head lowered in shame as he realized that, deep down, he wasn't the best father he could be. She then told him that he had the capacity to be a great father and a great dad and encouraged him to work on his faults.

The two criminals Edward captured were held on a $1 million straight cash bond each, so, they were not getting out anytime soon. Turned out that they were being held accountable for the two news reporter's deaths as well on third degree murder charges. The DA was looking to make examples of those two guys: Engage in a high speed pursuit that resulted in deaths and face more serious charges.

But, the media circus surrounding that had not really died down till after the new reporters' funerals. Edward was as good as his word and covered the funeral expenses out of his pocket and gave the wives of the two survivors a check for $5 million each to cover hospital bills and lost wages.

Meanwhile, Clayface was still in several tightly sealed containers back in Gotham State Prison and not a threat.

Bruce was as also good as his word and papers arrived at the Tower detailing the financial arrangements for the team.

Robin wasn't happy at first glance as he was concerned that he would be replaced by Edward.

"Come on, Richard," Edward had said, "These documents plainly state that Bruce and I are SILENT partners. Neither of us have the right to fire you for any reason, ever. You could haul off and kick me where it hurts and while I'd be mad as hell, I couldn't fire you for that. All this does is ensure the financial stability of the team for years to come. I know that he was footing the bills for the Titans, correct?"

"Yeah," Robin said, "He was."

"He still is, but, only 50% while I pick up the other 50%. The lights will stay on, the cable bill is taken care of, as well as all the other expenses. It frees you up from worrying about it totally," Edward said, "I already cover the food expenses, the pizza parties, and other items. This just spells out who pays for what."

Robin thought about it and said, "That does make sense. Thank you for not trying to take over."

"You're a fine leader, man!" Edward said, "Sure, you make mistakes and that bothers you. My advice on that: Learn from the mistakes and don't let them distract you.

"Only way you give up leadership is if you resign from the position. You can leave Cyborg as second-in-command or do as you think best."

With that, Edward signed the paperwork and had Robin witness it. Edward had it sent back to Gotham that evening after keeping his copy, of course.

Jericho was settling in well with the team as well. Edward and Arella put their heads together and scheduled times for the others to learn sign language.

Beast Boy was still slightly tinted from the red dye, but, that would wear off in the next day or so.

Edward had, indeed, moved in with Raven as well. His old room was fully converted to his office where the rest of the team could still talk to him in private. It had taken a while for Raven to get used to the idea, but, she was loving it as well. She had once given up hope and lost faith in her friends. Now, the young empath had a reason to be happy, have hope and faith.

Edward was sleeping better at night. For the first week or more after Trigon's failed attempt, he was plagued with nasty nightmares. They were nasty enough that Raven would end up rushing into his room and seeing him in mini-dragon form and thrashing hard in his sleep. She'd manage to grasp onto his head after using her powers to restrain him a bit. Then, she's flood the link with calming feelings and reassuring him that she was OK and to calm down.

It would take a while to break through, but, he'd eventually awaken and realize that she was all right and he was safe at the Tower. They'd spend the next hour fixing Edward's room up as he'd trash it in his sleep.

Eventually, the dreams stopped and he was feeling better. The dinner at Bruce's place was very helpful as it got Edward out of Jump City for a few hours and Clayface was, for Edward, an important test. He was more than willing to dry Clayface out and scatter him to the winds. But, it would have put Raven at an unacceptable risk. Terra was all too happy to help and didn't hurt Clayface in the process.

Life was good.

_Raven writes…_

_I couldn't believe when Edward asked me to marry him. I was kind of expecting it as Edward was actively blocking me for a while and I noticed when he disappeared for a couple of hours a month ago._

_But, this is a great feeling! The emoticlones are pleased with how things are going._

_Edward's recovering nicely from his ordeal, it took a while for his emotions to settle down and I think the little bit of action we've seen has helped him a lot. The few nightmares he suffered were calmed with a lot of effort on my part. I had to take in part of his own pain to relieve him, but, it was worth it. It hurt to do so, but, I was worried that it would tear him up inside._

_The last few times he's intervened to protect me could have ended up bad for those guys, but, Edward tends to keep in mind that mortals are fragile things and he hasn't needed to resort to tearing someone apart to rescue me or anyone else on the team, for that matter._

_He moved in a while ago and, it's weird having someone in my room for part of the time, especially at night. He's been a gentleman the whole time, though. Even after I gave him a little show before he moved in, he hasn't wanted to touch me in that way. He limits himself to the hugs and kisses which I've grown to love._

_Sure, we haven't really been able to date much given missions, but, Robin did promise us a day every other week and we've had a ball. He's so sweet that he will compromise with me. He's even sat through some of the poetry readings without complaining one bit. He doesn't say it aloud, but, I know when he's thinking some poetry is too dark or not that good._

_Robin and Starfire have moved closer as a couple and I think that the only thing stopping Robin from proposing to Starfire are his duties with the team. They also go on dates every other week. Robin set up a schedule of sorts to allow the three couples a chance to date and still leave several at home minding the store._

_All Edward and I have to do is set a date for the wedding. The problem in this is may give the criminal element a day to hit Jump City. We can't just sneak off and get married without jumping through some legal hoops anyway. The law says that we have to publically announce the wedding date and location. And have that submitted to the media…UGH! I hope they understand it if Wayne Enterprise security gives them the heave-ho. No way will I have a bunch of media people there!_

_Almost forgot Beast Boy and Terra! Now, that's a couple that, after the initial worries passed, have proven to have some staying power as well. They work well together and they are certainly in love with each other. It's interesting as Terra could literally bury Beast Boy, yet, all he has to do is morph into a gopher and, well, escape. He's matured a lot in the last few months. His jokes have become better and, well, after we punished him for eavesdropping, those letters of apology did earn my respect. I was impressed, in all honesty._

_Edward's been helping with Terra as well. She's had flashes of instability mentally and Edward tends to pick up on those a few moments before I do. I'm not worried as he was the one that detected faint psychic vibrations in the first place. She seems more at ease talking to him than anyone else._

_Cyborg has been out and about as well! He was at a park a few weeks ago and ran into a new friend. She was with a bunch of children and they all seem to have hit it off. The kids, according to Cyborg are also handicapped in different ways and they accept Cyborg as he is and not a monster. Granted no one on the team ever thought that once, it helps Cyborg to know that there are others that look beyond the machine to see the man underneath. Edward and I met Sarah as well and we both think that if they become a couple, it will be a good thing._

_But, time will tell._

The End…(For now)

* * *

_Well, that's it for this installment :) Next story will have Blackfire in it._

_Before I forget, though, a couple of shout outs to mention.  
_

_First, thanks to "TheForceIsStrongWithOne" for solving a problem for me. If you look up "A House Divided" (an interesting crossover with JL), you'll see how Edward and Rae will be able to have kiddies.  
_

_Next, my writing partner in my other timeline for not minding part of an incident being used. He might not get real justice, so, I'm giving him a sense of justice via Edward.  
_

_Future ideas include a sequel to "Trouble in Tokyo". That might be a couple stories down the pike, though. I need to focus on my other timeline as well for a while to fill some holes there.  
_

_Thanks for reading this long story...It's not as long as the word count indicates, though :) I think it's a few thousand words high...  
_

_Until next time :)  
_


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